A Selection of Marilyn Monroe Memorabilia up for Grabs in December

More than 175 items from Marilyn Monroe’s life and career will be offered this December by Julien’s Auctions in collaboration with Turner Classic Movies.

The sale comes on the heels of the release of the controversial film Blonde, based on the 2000 novel of the same name that focuses heavily on Monroe’s rise to fame and her relationships with men, both real and fictional.

Highlighting the sale is an artifact that’s believed to be the only connection or communication between the world-famous actress and one of the men in her life, her biological father Stanley C. Gifford.

Monroe was put into foster care in June 1926 when she was just two weeks old. Her mother tried to gain back full custody, but struggled with symptoms of mental disorder, according to her biography. Gifford, who worked in the film industry, did not want Monroe to be part of his life even though she tried to contact and visit him many times, according to My Sister Marilyn: A Memoir of Marilyn Monroe by Berniece Baker Miracle, Monroe’s half-sister, and Mona Rae Miracle, daughter of Berniece.

The card reads: “This cheery little get-well note comes specially to say that lots of thoughts and wishes, too, are with you every day,” with the words “a little prayer too,” and signed “Stanley Gifford, Red Rock Dairy Farm, Hemet, Calif.”

The card was discovered by Marilyn Monroe historian and collector Scott Fortner as part of researching and documenting Monroe’s personal archives. It was undated and without an envelope, and believed to be hand delivered to Monroe when Gifford visited her during one of her many hospitalizations in Los Angeles, according to Julien’s.

It has an estimated value between US$2,000 and US$3,000.

Additional highlights include wardrobe pieces worn by Monroe for her photograph shoots and movies. A Mae West-inspired black “cellophane effect” evening gown, worn by Monroe during the 1955 filming of The Seven Year Itch, is expected to fetch between US$20,000 and US$40,000. A black velvet opera coat in which she was often photographed while living in New York from 1954-55 has a presale estimate between US$20,000 and US$30,000.

One of the most valuable items is a personalized brown leather Gucci address book custom stamped “M.M.” on the front cover, circa 1955, expected to sell for between US$50,000 and US$70,000. The address book contains contacts including Marlon Brando, “Mother Miller,” Lee Strasberg, Maurine [sic.] Stapleton, and Harold Clurman, along with handwritten entries and notes.

“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,” Pola Changnon, general manager of Turner Classic Movies, said in a statement. “This auction brings us closer to the real person she was.”

The sale will take place from Dec. 17-18 live at Julien’s Beverly Hills galleries and via its online platform.

The marketplace has spoken and, at least for now, it’s showing preference for hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) over battery electrics. That makes Toyota’s foot dragging on EVs (and full speed ahead on hybrids) look fairly wise, though the timeline along a bumpy road still gets us to full electrification by 2035.

Italian supercar producer Lamborghini, in business since 1963, is also proceeding, incrementally, toward battery power. In an interview, Federico Foschini , Lamborghini’s chief global marketing and sales officer, talked about the new Urus SE plug-in hybrid the company showed at its lounge in New York on Monday.

The Urus SE interior gets a larger centre screen and other updates.
Lamborghini

The Urus SE SUV will sell for US$258,000 in the U.S. (the company’s biggest market) when it goes on sale internationally in the first quarter of 2025, Foschini says.

“We’re using the contribution from the electric motor and battery to not only lower emissions but also to boost performance,” he says. “Next year, all three of our models [the others are the Revuelto, a PHEV from launch, and the continuation of the Huracán] will be available as PHEVs.”

The Euro-spec Urus SE will have a stated 37 miles of electric-only range, thanks to a 192-horsepower electric motor and a 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery, but that distance will probably be less in stricter U.S. federal testing. In electric mode, the SE can reach 81 miles per hour. With the 4-litre 620-horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine engaged, the picture is quite different. With 789 horsepower and 701 pound-feet of torque on tap, the SE—as big as it is—can reach 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and attain 193 mph. It’s marginally faster than the Urus S, but also slightly under the cutting-edge Urus Performante model. Lamborghini says the SE reduces emissions by 80% compared to a standard Urus.

Lamborghini’s Urus plans are a little complicated. The company’s order books are full through 2025, but after that it plans to ditch the S and Performante models and produce only the SE. That’s only for a year, however, because the all-electric Urus should arrive by 2029.

Lamborghini’s Federico Foschini with the Urus SE in New York.
Lamborghini

Thanks to the electric motor, the Urus SE offers all-wheel drive. The motor is situated inside the eight-speed automatic transmission, and it acts as a booster for the V8 but it can also drive the wheels on its own. The electric torque-vectoring system distributes power to the wheels that need it for improved cornering. The Urus SE has six driving modes, with variations that give a total of 11 performance options. There are carbon ceramic brakes front and rear.

To distinguish it, the Urus SE gets a new “floating” hood design and a new grille, headlights with matrix LED technology and a new lighting signature, and a redesigned bumper. There are more than 100 bodywork styling options, and 47 interior color combinations, with four embroidery types. The rear liftgate has also been restyled, with lights that connect the tail light clusters. The rear diffuser was redesigned to give 35% more downforce (compared to the Urus S) and keep the car on the road.

The Urus represents about 60% of U.S. Lamborghini sales, Foschini says, and in the early years 80% of buyers were new to the brand. Now it’s down to 70%because, as Foschini says, some happy Urus owners have upgraded to the Performante model. Lamborghini sold 3,000 cars last year in the U.S., where it has 44 dealers. Global sales were 10,112, the first time the marque went into five figures.

The average Urus buyer is 45 years old, though it’s 10 years younger in China and 10 years older in Japan. Only 10% are women, though that percentage is increasing.

“The customer base is widening, thanks to the broad appeal of the Urus—it’s a very usable car,” Foschini says. “The new buyers are successful in business, appreciate the technology, the performance, the unconventional design, and the fun-to-drive nature of the Urus.”

Maserati has two SUVs in its lineup, the Levante and the smaller Grecale. But Foschini says Lamborghini has no such plans. “A smaller SUV is not consistent with the positioning of our brand,” he says. “It’s not what we need in our portfolio now.”

It’s unclear exactly when Lamborghini will become an all-battery-electric brand. Foschini says that the Italian automaker is working with Volkswagen Group partner Porsche on e-fuel, synthetic and renewably made gasoline that could presumably extend the brand’s internal-combustion identity. But now, e-fuel is very expensive to make as it relies on wind power and captured carbon dioxide.

During Monterey Car Week in 2023, Lamborghini showed the Lanzador , a 2+2 electric concept car with high ground clearance that is headed for production. “This is the right electric vehicle for us,” Foschini says. “And the production version will look better than the concept.” The Lanzador, Lamborghini’s fourth model, should arrive in 2028.