Yahoo Sports Marilyn Monroe's Personal Belongings to Be Auctioned — Including Note from Her Father Stanley Gifford
Frank Povolny/Twentieth Century Fox/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Marilyn Monroe
More than 175 items once associated with Marilyn Monroe are going up for auction.
The pieces are set to headline Julien's Auctions and TCM Present: Icons & Idols Hollywood, which will be held live both in person and online next month, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal.
One of the most notable items in the collection is a handwritten note from Charles Stanley Gifford, who was recently proven to be the father of the late screen legend via DNA testing.
"This card is the only known material artifact that establishes any connection or communication between Gifford and his famous daughter," reads a release, which also adds that it is believed Gifford hand-delivered the card to Monroe while she was in the hospital.
"I discovered the card purely by chance while I was preparing Marilyn's personal archives for auction at Julien's Auctions," said Scott Fortner, Marilyn Monroe historian/collector and co-host of the All Things Marilyn podcast. "This is the only known documented evidence of a relationship between Monroe and Gifford, which solves the mystery of whether or not she knew or had contact with her biological father."
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Julien's Auctions Card to Marilyn Monroe from her father, Stanley Gifford
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The card — which Julien's estimates will be sold for $2,000 to $3,000 — features art of a little girl standing on a music note on the front, with a handwritten note inside.
"Dear Marylyn," begins Gifford's message, with Monroe's name spelled incorrectly, before the card's pre-filled text reads, "This cheery little get-well note comes specially to say that lots of thoughts and wishes, too, are with you every day."
Gifford ended with his own words — "a little prayer too" — and signed the card, "Stanley Gifford, Red Rock Dairy Farm, Hemet, Calif."
Monroe, whose real name was Norma Jeane Mortenson, was born to Gladys Pearl Baker and Baker's one-time co-worker Gifford, but famously did not have a real relationship with her father growing up.
"It is believed that Gifford did not want to upset his wife and children by allowing Monroe to be part of his life," the release says, of Monroe and Gifford's strained dynamic.
Other items in Monroe's collection include several beauty products — such as lipstick tubes, false eyelashes, eye shadows and more — that once belonged to the star, as well as several dresses owned and worn by Monroe, some with expected final bids of up to $80,000.
Those wishing to own a piece of Monroe history can also bid on various correspondence notes/letters, photos, her personal checkbook, her last Screen Actors Guild membership card and a medical file pertaining to cosmetic surgery Monroe had done that is expected to fetch up to $30,000.
"For nearly two decades, Julien's has proudly represented the legacy and lore of Hollywood's most glamorous and iconic star, Marilyn Monroe," the group's Executive Director Martin Nolan said in a release.
Nolan continued, "In this auction, we've curated with TCM what is sure to be one of the most-talked-about and history-making Marilyn collections in the industry, with over 175 extraordinary items discovered from her personal archives such as the only known written communication from Marilyn's father to clothing worn in her most iconic looks on and off the screen, that shaped not only her public persona but pop culture and style writ large."
"Despite the numerous books, movies and stories there are about the life of Marilyn Monroe, she has always been a largely enigmatic and alluring star," said TCM General Manager Pola Changnon.
Changnon added, "This auction brings us closer to the real person she was, and Julien's has done an incredible job curating this glimpse into her all-too-brief life."
Julien's Auctions and TCM Present: Icons & Idols Hollywood will be held live on Dec. 17 and 18 at 10 a.m. PT, both in person in Beverly Hills, California, and online at juliensauctions.com.
Those wishing to bid can register online ahead of time at juliensauctions.com/register-to-bid.
