To mark 100 years since the birth of one of Hollywood’s most iconic and enduring stars, special auctions featuring a vast collection of Marilyn Monroe’s personal belongings have drawn massive public interest, with thousands of dollars already placed in active bids just days into the sales. The celebrations, which are being held across the United States to honor the legendary actress and model’s 1 June 1926 birth, are led by Julien’s Auctions, which has put 185 distinct pieces of Monroe memorabilia from her personal estate and the collections of her close connections on the block.
Among the standout lots up for sale are never-before-seen candid photos and slides that have been kept out of public view for decades, plus a range of clothing, accessories, and personal care items that Monroe owned and used regularly. The highest-value item in the Julien’s sale is a 1950s gold-toned cylindrical evening minaudiere purse that still holds the original small items Monroe carried inside it: a tiny hair comb, a tube of lipstick, eight Philip Morris cigarettes, and 1940s dimes. The purse was originally estimated to draw a $100,000 price, and by Thursday morning of the auction’s opening, the top bid had already reached $70,000.
More intimate items have also sparked fierce bidding competition. A 1950s brassiere owned by Monroe, inherited by her long-time acting coach Paula Strasberg, has yellowed with age but still garnered 15 separate bids, topping out at $7,000 far exceeding its initial $1,000 valuation. Monroe’s original makeup products, including lipsticks, blush, and an eyeliner pencil, have also drawn strong attention in large part from TikTok creators who frequently create content recreating Monroe’s signature timeless look.
Other notable lots include the olive-green painted wood front gates from the only home Monroe ever owned, located in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles that she purchased shortly before her death. Bids for the gates, which Monroe bought for just $100 in 1962, had already reached $15,000 early in the auction. Dozens of the never-before-published candid photos and slides, signed by the legendary photographers who captured them including Allan Grant and Milton Greene, have also received dozens of competitive bids from collectors around the world.
Julien’s Auctions notes that the entire collection is made up of pieces that were personally owned, used, and kept by Monroe, including a number of items recovered from her final Brentwood residence. A separate parallel auction run by Heritage Auctions is also offering additional Monroe items, including a Christian Dior skirt the star wore on her honeymoon and a personal letter from her then-husband, celebrated playwright Arthur Miller.
Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson, had a difficult childhood growing up in a series of foster homes before she was discovered by a U.S. Army photographer while working in an aircraft factory during World War II. She rose to global fame as a defining 1950s sex symbol and went on to star in a string of critically and commercially successful hit films including *Niagara* and *Some Like It Hot*, before her tragic death at age 36 from an overdose in 1962. Nearly 65 years after her passing, she remains one of the most recognizable and beloved cultural figures in the world, and the centennial of her birth has drawn widespread celebration across the country.
Earlier this week, more than 1,000 fans gathered in Palm Springs, California—one of Monroe’s favorite vacation getaways—for a public celebration. Most attendees dressed in replicas of her iconic white pleated dress from *The Seven Year Itch*, posing for photos alongside a famous public statue of Monroe wearing the same legendary outfit.