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Close to an Icon: A Man’s Quest to Rest Near Marilyn Monroe
Beverly Hills tech investor Anthony Jabin once harbored a dream of eternal proximity to Marilyn Monroe. While that dream didn’t quite materialize, he came remarkably close. According to the BBC, Jabin secured a mausoleum crypt one row above and four spaces to the left of Monroe’s final resting place at Pierce Brother Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles, with a winning bid of $195,000. (Fun fact: Hugh Hefner purchased the crypt adjacent to Monroe’s in 1992.)
But Jabin’s acquisitions didn’t stop there. At the “Icons: Playboy, Hugh Hefner, and Marilyn Monroe” sale hosted by Julien’s Auctions, as reported by Sky News, he also acquired a circular bed formerly owned by Hefner, shelling out $13,000, as well as a swimming costume once worn by Monroe, purchased for $29,250.
The three-day auction, which concluded last Saturday, showcased a captivating collection of artifacts tied to three American icons of the 20th century: Hugh Hefner, Marilyn Monroe, and Playboy. Despite never having met, the legacies of Hefner and Monroe became intertwined when Monroe graced the cover of Hefner’s inaugural 1953 issue of Playboy.
Among the highly coveted items up for grabs were several dresses worn by Monroe, including a long-sleeved pink silk Pucci dress that fetched a record-breaking $325,000, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Other notable sales included an evening gown worn by Monroe in a scene cut from The Seven Year Itch, which sold for $127,000, and a Jean Louis silk jersey cocktail dress worn by Monroe to a press conference for The Misfits, sold for $65,000.
Even seemingly mundane items associated with Monroe commanded significant interest. An old marker from Monroe’s crypt, bearing minor damage from adoring fans, sold for an astounding $89,900. And an “orange pink” Elizabeth Arden lipstick once owned by Monroe fetched $7,000, marking it as the second-highest-selling lipstick in auction history, as reported by the Reporter.
Overall, the auction generated considerable buzz, with nearly 600 items sold and a total revenue of $4 million, as noted by the Reporter. It’s clear that the allure of these iconic figures continues to captivate collectors and fans alike, preserving their legacies for generations to come.
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