Marilyn Monroe, an actress of Hollywood in the 1950s, was an idol in her days. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded her three Golden Globes and, recently, one of these went under the hammer in Beverly Hills. It was the first Golden Globe she won in 1961 and a European bought this prized possession for $250,000.

New York Times reports that those who collect celebrity memorabilia are willing to pay exorbitant sums to own such items and the trend is increasing. Many buyers are from countries like China and Russia, and they view these as paying propositions.

Recently, someone bought Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair at an auction for $390,000. Auctioneers do not complain because there is an influx of money as investors are keen to diversify their portfolios.

Other memorabilia auctioned

A Jewish prayer book belonging to Marilyn Monroe went under the hammer and surprised the auctioneer when it fetched twice the estimate. Another Golden Globe she won sold for $140,000 in 1999. It was a best actress award for the movie “Some Like It Hot.” The same year, a dress she wore went for the sum of $1.26 million.

She wore that dress at a Democratic fund-raiser when she sang “Happy Birthday” to John F. Kennedy.

Marilyn Monroe enjoyed pop culture status and was the heartthrob of Hollywood. Obviously, whatever she owned became very valuable to collectors. They considered them as lucrative investments and never hesitated to pick them up to add to their collection.

Her lifestyle also played a crucial role because she led a troubled, short life. She married three times, suffered from depression, and finally died from an overdose of sleeping pills when she was 36.

Her 1956 Ford Thunderbird

According to Sky News, there was also an auction for the 1956 Ford Thunderbird that Marilyn Monroe owned.

It went for $490,000 in Hollywood. She loved the car and soon after her marriage to Arthur Miller in 1956, the two of them used to drive around in it. The car was a part of her life until her last moments. In 1962, she gave it as a gift to the son of her acting coach, Lee Strasberg. The new owner who bought it in the auction wants to remain anonymous.

Incidentally, a few other memorabilia were also auctioned. One of these was a prized possession. It was a copy of Playboy's first edition. It had Marilyn Monroe on the cover and publisher Hugh Hefner had signed it. One of her admirers paid $32,000 to take custody of it. In all probability it will be added to someone’s library.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED