A cocktail dress Marilyn Monroe wore in Some Like It Hot realised $460,000 at Julien's Auctions.
It was one of a vast selection of pieces of Monroe memorabilia to auction at the three day sale in LA on November 17-19.
 Some Like It Hot is among Monroe's most celebrated performances |
Monroe wore the dress in the iconic scene where she sings I'm Through with Love while sitting on top of a grand piano.
The lot comes from the collection of David Gainsborough Roberts, a Jersey-based collector.
It last sold at auction in 1992, when it realised just $38,500.
That's a rate of return of 10.8% per annum over the past 24 years.
As Gainsborough Roberts explained in an interview with JustCollecting: "Marilyn is probably the best investment in the world…
"I've got 20 of them [Monroe's dresses] and some of them I paid as little as little as �6,000 for. Things have gone up just so much…"
Other highlights included pieces from the collection of director and acting coach Lee Strasberg, such as a Blancpain platinum and diamond watch that made $225,000.
Monroe studied under Strasberg from the early 1950s until her death in 1962. He was both a mentor and father figure to the troubled star. Monroe left him most of her personal effects.
The dress Monroe wore to sing Happy Birthday to JFK in 1962 was the top lot overall, achieving a massive $4.8m.
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