It’s the most famous bust in America, and it’s for sale. No, not the ones on Mt. Rushmore, but Marilyn Monroe‘s bras, two of which are being auctioned off by Julien’s on June 4 — already bid up to $5K apiece, more than double their $1K-$2K estimates — as part of a sale marking what would have been her 100th birthday on June 1.
The bras are just two of dozens of personal items up for grabs, including a gold-plated lipstick tube with 70-year-old hot pink lipstick still inside (current bid: $7K), eyeliner for $1,250, and mascara for $800. For buyers thinking big, the 1960s front gates from her Brentwood home at 12305 Helena Drive — roughly one ton of wrought iron — are currently at $15K, shipping not included. They left the property in 1984 when a fan bought them from the then-owner and installed them in the basement of his Minneapolis home, which is either devotion or a storage problem.
The top lot is expected to be her 1950s minaudière evening purse (estimate: $100K-$200K; current bid: $40K), now owned by fashion designers Tommy and Dee Hilfiger. Most of the personal items trace back to the estate of Monroe’s acting coach Lee Strasberg, who inherited 75 percent of her estate and all her personal effects. Most have also been on the block before — Christie’s in 1999, Julien’s in 2003 and 2016.
The sleeper items may be the most interesting: never-before-seen photographs and transparencies from Monroe’s 1954 trip to Japan with Joe DiMaggio, with current bids starting at $100.
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