Marilyn Monroe's Love Letters, Brassiere, Coat & Other Belongings Auctioned

The memorabilia of Marilyn Monroe fetched big money at an auction held by Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills. The Hollywood's icon's personal belongings were auctioned over the weekend in thousands.

The auction included a series of love letters written to Monroe by playwright Arthur Miller before she wed him in 1956.
A letter Monroe wrote in response to Miller brought $43,750, the auction house said. Miller and Monroe divorced less than five years after their marriage.

What appealed most to the bidders were the love letter written by her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio before their divorce which fetched $78,125 at the auction. DiMaggio wrote the letter to Marilyn Monroe following her news conference announcing their divorce, nine months after their wedding in January 1954.

DiMaggio, a Hall of Fame player for the New York Yankees, did not want to end the marriage and asked Monroe to reconsider it, calling the letter "heartbreaking".

Monroe was an actress and sex symbol with a tumultuous personal life which included three marriages. The icon died in 1962 at the age of 36 in Los Angeles due to drug overdose.

Also among 'Marilyn Monroe's Lost Archives' was a handwritten letter that Monroe wrote for playwright and later husband Arthur Miller. It fetched nearly USD 44,000 to undisclosed buyer.

As part of its Icons & Idols series, the auction house offered an array of items ranging from James Bond memorabilia and a nude sculpture made by Farrah Fawcett to a slice of Prince William and Kate's wedding cake. Among the most spectacular were sales from the "Lost Archives of Marilyn Monroe."

These letters were willed to Monroe's mentor, the legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg, after her death. The auction house also sold about 200 other items of the late movie star. The top-selling item at the auction was a silk overcoat that Monroe often wore. It sold for $175,000. A Monroe black cocktail dress and opera coat was sold for $93,750. Monroe's white lace brassiere was sold for $20,000, her small lip brush for $10,000 and a makeup compact for $46,875.

Courtesy Julien's Auctions

Courtesy Julien's Auctions