A rare, nude Marilyn Monroe calendar, which has been signed by the actress, is set to star at Heritage's forthcoming entertainment auction on December 14.
The circa 1952 calendar is thought to be one of very few Monroe ever autographed. Its scarcity, as well as the inherent value of a Monroe signature, has led to an estimated valuation of $8,000 for the item.
 Monroe and Mary Karger (far right) in 1962 |
The calendar features a relaxed Monroe in "A New Wrinkle" pose, her arms and legs stretched across bright red velvet. The actress has addressed her signature to Mary Karger - the sister of Fred Karger, with whom Monroe is rumoured to have been romantically entangled.
Although the calendar is heavily worn, exhibiting many tears and a great deal of damage, it is thought to have excellent provenance and very few are known to still be in existence.
Monroe is an iconic figure, intrinsically connected to notions of Hollywood glamour and personal tragedy, and items related to the actress often do very well at auction.
We recently reported on the sale of Milton H Greene's incredible Marilyn Monroe photo archive, which auctioned in Poland for $750,000 - representing the country's highest grossing photograph auction of all time.
 The 1952 calendar has suffered considerable damage |
We also have a wide range of Monroe collectibles in stock, including her high school class photograph (circa 1941) depicting Norma Jean Baker before she renamed herself Marilyn Monroe.
Other entertainment artefacts set to impress at the auction include a 1947 oil painting of a sad clown by Frank Sinatra, which carries an estimated sale price of $8,000, and the mermaid costume famously worn by Cher in the 1990 film Mermaids, which is valued at $7,000.
