Would I be writing this guide to Marilyn Monroe memorabilia had she lived a long, healthy life?
Quite possibly not.
Marilyn was undoubtedly a huge star in her all-too-short life.
The statistics - $200 million (about $2 billion today) at the box office before her death - bear that out.
But her tragic early death also adds value to items connected to her.
There are a number of reasons for that. Some less pretty than others.
First of all, an early death reduces supply. This is probably most keenly felt in the autograph market.
And, death brings attention. Young death particularly so. Young, beautiful death even more than that.
You can come up with psychological theories around that if you like.
It's certainly true that Marilyn, James Dean, and Kurt Cobain tend to add weight to the simple truth of the statement.
Marilyn Monroe a brief life
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 Marilyn Monroe became one of the most recognisable stars of the 20th century.
An early publicity shot, signed, from Asphalt Jungle.
She was a model, actor, but most of all a star. Her life, her look, and her tragedy have come to symbolise female glamour (and its exploitation), female struggle and more.
Things weren't easy for young Norma Jean. Her mother was an extremely young divorced woman and she went through a very mixed-bag of orphanages and foster homes. She was sexually abused by more than one of her supposed carers.
Surroundings she described as "grim" were her first inspiration to seek out the make-believe world of acting. But it was modelling that first got Marilyn into the public spotlight.
She was quickly spotted and dumped onto the Hollywood contract player conveyor belt. Her undoubted good looks got her light comedy roles, but she wasn't a star and her acting wasn't taken seriously.
In 1953 that all changed. She played a femme fatale in Niagara to great effect. As the blonde in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes she cemented her comedy reputation, and How To Marry A Millionaire helped to make her a star, and a major league sex symbol.
She continued to play those roles, but wanted more. She set up her own production company, studied method acting at New York's Actors' Studio, and became the bigger half of a power couple when she married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio.
She fought for and won better contracts and better roles. Her (probably physically abusive) marriage to DiMaggio ended and she tied the knot with one of America's greatest playwrights Arthur Miller.
In Bus Stop (1956) she finally won unqualified plaudits for her dramatic work.
But, that was the peak, and Marilyn declined.
Escaping the treadmill of the Hollywood studio system was hard. She continued to make movies she didn't value. Mental health problems were treated with addictive drugs, on which she became dependent.
Marilyn died in her Los Angeles home in Brentwood in August 1962. She was just 36 and the cause of death was officially an overdose of barbiturates - drugs most often used to treat anxiety.
Her death turned her into a myth.
It's also surrounded by conspiracy theories and speculation, most often tied to a rumoured affair with John F Kennedy, for whom she sang Happy Birthday in one of the most remembered public appearances of her life.
Marilyn Monroe memorabilia
Marilyn is possibly the most collectible star of Hollywood's Golden Age.
Her on-screen presence was radiant. Her off-screen life complicated and often very painful.
Dichotomies like that are the sort of stories people love.
Her short life means that genuine personal artefacts are in limited supply.
As ever, you should be cautious when buying items that can be forged. And that certainly includes autographs as valuable as Marilyn's are.
And passion is as good a guide to your collection as any cold-headed investment decisions.
If you'd like a collection you'll love, collect the things you love.
Like most big stars Marilyn inspired a lot of memorabilia that is of very variable quality and taste. Items like these are extremley unlikely to become valuable, but with our earlier advice in mind, you may wish to add them and their colour and kitsch to your collection.
Of all Hollywood stars Marilyn is perhaps the one who is most remembered for an image. Photographs and art of or inspired by Marilyn are a collecting speciality in their own right.
Marilyn Monroe autographs
How much is Marilyn Monroe's autograph worth?
How long is a piece of string?
Or rather, how sure are you that the signature is genuine?
What is it on?
And does it tell a story of Marilyn's life?
All of those things add value.
Marilyn had a tough time at the hands of the press but it seems she liked her actual fans a good deal and was a willing signer of autographs.
You should expect to pay several hundred dollars for the most pedestrian, genuine signatures though.
Add a good photograph and you can move up into the thousands.
Particularly telling items may make 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars.
A check signed by Marilyn close to her death auctioned for $15,000 in 2012.
A baseball signed by both Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio made $137,000 in 2019 and was listed with an estimate of $300,000 to $400,000 last year (though not apparently sold).
There doesn't seem to be a notable downturn in this market.
Marilyn Monroe costumes
Marilyn was a great natural beauty. And she was also beautifully dressed for many of her roles.
How many stars do you know whose dresses have their own, independent fame?
Marilyn's do. Including the Happy Birthday dress controversially worn by Kim Kardashian at last year's Met Gala. That's in private hands and was bought for $4.8 million. It would probably make even more if sold now.
Of course, actual costumes worn by Marilyn on screen are in incredibly short supply.
And they are appropriately priced.
The Seven Year Itch dress reportedly sold for $4.6 million in 2011.
A 2021 sale saw her silk polka-dot dress worn in The Seven Year Itch make £154,000. A pearl-encrusted mermaid gown she wore in the relatively unheralded 1957 flick, The Prince and the Showgirl, realised £113,000. And her iconic black lace and green mesh ensemble from Bus Stop made just shy of £300,000.
Chancing upon Marilyn costumes is extraordinarily unlikely.
Though you can find smaller personal items for sale.
A make-up pencil she used, a vase she owned, even a bottle of eyedrops, have all made several thousand dollars at auction (all exceeding their estimates).
Marilyn Monroe posters, photographs and images
Marilyn is most often remembered visually.
A simple, original print of a good quality photograph of her can make thousands of dollars.
Signed you can start to multiply that.
A photo Marilyn took of herself in a picture booth sold in May 2023 for $27,900.
Quality, size, and title are the main determinant of poster value. So, a Belgian Seven Year Itch poster made $200 at auction. An American Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (with the title in English) made nearly $800.
Marilyn inspired a lot of art.
The most notable and most valuable is that produced by Andy Warhol.
Some of it is priceless in most normal collecting terms. But, while Warhol is super expensive he did, to an extent, mass produce his work.
So, you can buy a Warhol screen print of Marilyn for $200,000.
It's a lot, but it's not the $195 million his 1964 Shot Sage Blue Marilyn sold for in 2021.
Collecting Marilyn Monroe memorabilia now
Marilyn Monroe will probably never go out of fashion.
Stardom is often fleeing, but she goes beyond that.
Not many Hollywood actors do.
You can see some of our Marilyn Monroe collection here.
Thank you for reading.
