Trove of Monroe’s belongings up for auction

Items including clutch, lipstick, cigarettes, jewellery case expected to fetch over $4 million

LOS ANGELES: A collection of personal items, including handwritten notes and jewellery, that belonged to late film icon Marilyn Monroe will go up for auction in November at Julien’s Auctions.

Monroe, one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age of cinema, left numerous items in her will to her acting mentor, Lee Strasberg. More than 500 lots of Monroe’s belongings will be at auction in Los Angeles on November 19 and 20, and they are expected to fetch between $2 million and $4 million.

Many of the items are preserved exactly as they were when Monroe died of a drug overdose in 1962, aged 36. A small clutch evening bag or minaudiere is being sold with two 10-cent coins, eight Philip Morris cigarettes and a used Revlon lipstick in the shade Bachelor’s Carnation, a vibrant red hue. It is expected to fetch between $15,000 and $20,000. Amid the items are glimpses into Monroe’s life, such as a taxi receipt dated February 2, 1960 to 20th Century Fox, the year she was starring in Let’s Make Love for the film studio, and tax documents that detailed the actress’ expenditures.



A jewelry case owned by Monroe’s former husband, baseball great Joe DiMaggio is expected to fetch between $3,000 and $5,000. The case has a brass monogram and a combination lock set to 555, reflecting DiMaggio’s No. 5 player number for the New York Yankees. Another highlight in the auction is a platinum diamond Blancpain watch, estimated to fetch between $80,000 and $120,000, but could likely sell for a much higher price.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2016.

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