4 days ago
Six of the Most Unusual Items from the Marilyn Monroe Auction
Six of the Most Unusual Items from the Marilyn Monroe Auction originally appeared on L.A. Mag.
Poor Marilyn Monroe. Born into poverty in Boyle Heights, mom sent to the asylum, divorced three times and dead at 36. But in those few short decades, she became an immortal part of the Hollywood legend and her blonde bombshell images still defines a sex symbol to millions. This week would have been the star's birthday and Julien's Auctions of Gardena is marking the occasion with "Happy 99th Birthday, Marilyn!," an auction of over 100 artifacts, tchotchkes and historical documents related to the most famous actress of all time running through June 12. 'At Julien's we sort of have a corner on the market for Marilyn,' says Margaret Barrett, Appraiser of Entertainment Memorabilia at Julien's, 'Our founder Darren Julien had a good relationship for many years with Lee and Anna Strasberg who inherited Marilyn's estate.'Barrett is partial to the personally signed checks. 'You know where she was that day and what she was thinking at the moment. We know she was at Pickwick books on July 3, 1951 and she bought twelve dollar's worth of stuff.'These online-only auctions feature only about 20% of the items of the more traditional in-person sales and the prices start low, often under a hundred bucks. 'The reason I started 5 or 6 years ago was so that young collectors or those without lots of extra money can get something,' Barrett says. 'It's worked like a charm. I say great! Keep coming back.'
Lot #41950s Hair CurlerCurrent bid at post time: $150'The curlers came from the Monroe estate sold Julien's sold 20 years ago,' Barrett says. 'It was a whole set and the owner's been selling them off one by one. Lots of buyers want one little piece of Marilyn. I'm sure the original buyer plucked off the hair 20 years ago.'
Lot #121961 Telephone Messages from The Beverly Hills HotelCurrent bid at post time: $300
Three missed calls from 1961 at Marilyn's preferred hotel
Lot #61962 Invoice from Arthur P. Jacobs Company, Inc. Current bid at post time: $50
This $7.82 bill for Western Union telegrams came from the Strasberg collection and includes reference to 'M. Monroe's picture with P. Sellers' Peter "Pink Panther" Sellers? What would that have been like?
Lot #171960 Receipts from Jurgensen'sCurrent bid at post time: $150
Thirteen sales slips from the upscale grocery store in Beverly Hills including her orders for cheese, 7-Up and caviar.
Lot #741954 "Monroe Scent" Vintage Merchandise DisplayCurrent bid at post time: $50
Possibly unlicensed air fresheners in rose, jasmin and lilac marketed with the star's image. Nine brittle 70-year-old samples remain intact.
Lot #941950s Blank CheckCurrent bid: $200
While most checks tell the story of when and where the star spent money, here is a rare unused and unsigned specimen from City National Bank in Beverly Hills that once lived in her handbag.
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
