Marilyn Monroe Auction Offers 185 Items on 100th Birthday as Bids Reach $70,000
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
Marilyn Monroe Auction Offers 185 Items on 100th Birthday as Bids Reach $70,000
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
Summary
Julien's Auctions opened a 185-lot Marilyn Monroe sale on Thursday, marking the 100th anniversary of her birth with bids already running into the thousands.
The top early bid reached $70,000 for a 1950s gold-toned purse estimated at $100,000, while Monroe's brassiere drew $7,000 against a $1,000 estimate and her Brentwood home gates hit $15,000.
The auction spans intimate personal effects — lipsticks, blush, eyeliner and lip pomade — alongside gowns and never-before-seen photographs and slides from Monroe's estate and friends.
The sale is part of wider U.S. tributes this week, including a Palm Springs gathering where more than 1,000 fans dressed in Monroe's iconic white-pleated dress.