Rare collection of Monroe's belongings to be auctioned

Los Angeles, May 16: A trove of Marilyn Monroe's belongings including handwritten letters, shoes and jewelry is expected to fetch up to USD 4 million when it goes under the hammer in Los Angeles in November.

More than 500 lots of her personal possessions -- the largest collection ever offered for auction -- are being sold by the estate of her acting coach, Lee Strasberg, who died in 1982.

"Marilyn was a complex and beguiling figure in her lifetime, leaving generations of adoring fans to speculate, infer, and debate about her life," Strasberg's wife Anna said in a statement. "What has resulted is a prismatic kaleidoscope image built upon both fact and fantasy."

The collection includes an alligator skin men's accessory case owned by Monroe's second husband, the baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, as well as a number of Monroe's handbags, fur coats, cigarettes and a tube of used Revlon lipstick dated from 1947.

"This is one of the most important and historic auctions of Marilyn Monroe ever. This diverse collection gives us a most intimate glimpse of the screen legend," said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's Auctions.

"Never before have there been so many important artifacts from the life and career of the much loved global icon Marilyn Monroe." Bidders will also have a chance to buy a number of revealing documents, including a taxi receipt from 1960, tax returns, recipes and a checkbook containing filled out stubs from 1962 -- the year she died.

AFP