In his column this week, Paul talks about how movie memorabilia from present day films and stars can attract high-level bids and estimates - like at the upcoming Marvel comics movie memorabilia auction in Chicago.

Now, as if to prove Paul's point, a vintage Christian Dior dress worn by actress Natalie Portman at the 84th Academy Awards has sold for $50,000 (£31,800). Portman wore the dress while nominated for the "Best Actor" Oscar, which eventually went to The Artist's Jean Dujardin.

Black Swan star Natalie didn't actually own the dress, but instead borrowed it from couture dealer Rare Vintage. Yet this celebrity provenance was enough to boost the dress's value. The winning bidder was an unknown British couture collector.

Natalie Portman's Oscars dress brought $50,000

Oscars-related collectibles seem to be a bit of a 'sure thing' in the current collectibles markets. Last week, more than a dozen Oscar statuettes were auctioned in Los Angeles and netted a total of $3m in sales.

Celebrity dresses are also big business. Recent big sales included last year's auctioning of Marilyn Monroe's dress from The Seven Year Itch, which brought $5.6m.

Meanwhile, female celebrity clothing items we've handled include this Madonna autographed and worn tank top, as featured in the video for her 2003 single 'Love Profusion'. We have it for sale, and you can find out more by following this link.