Andy Warhol's Cow, a colour screenprint from 1971, has become the top performing lot in Julien's Auctions' sale of Property from the Estate of Phyllis Diller (1917-2012), held in Beverly Hills, California on September 22.
 Despite her stage persona, Diller was actually quite beautiful and even did a shoot for Playboy |
The piece, inscribed "H.B P.D (Happy Birthday, Phyllis Diller) Love Andy Warhol '83" sold for an outstanding $43,750, a 629.1% increase on its $6,000 high estimate.
Another print of Warhol's Cow sold for $25,513 at Christie's in 2011.
 A personally inscribed print from Warhol is rarely seen at auction |
Similarly impressive results were seen for a half length portrait of fellow comedian and Diller's colleague Bob Hope, which was originally expected to make just $1,000-2,000, but was propelled to a 712.5% gain to sell for $16,250.
The auction presented an eclectic mix of antiques from Diller's home, as well as artworks, personal items and career memorabilia.
Highlighting among the personal items were a trio of Louis Vuitton hat boxes, which sold for $5,312 - a 77% increase on the $3,000 high estimate.
Also selling well was Salvador Dali's The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac portfolio comprised of 13 colour lithographs, 12 of which were signed and numbered by the artist. Valued at $4,000-6,000, it made $11,875, topping the estimate by 97.9%.
The auction house will follow up on the sale today (September 23) with an online-only auction that offers a selection of Diller's lesser career memorabilia, including her Hollywood Walk of Fame plaque at $1,000.
Paul Fraser Collectibles offers some excellent signed celebrity memorabilia for sale, spanning Hollywood's golden age to the present day.
