DALLAS, TX.- A trove of rare snapshots, some of which have never been seen before, of Marilyn Monroe, taken by an teen fan during the peak of her career in the mid-1950s, will make their auction debut in
Heritage Auction's Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Auction Feb. 20 in Dallas. The snapshots come from the personal collection of James Collins, a star-struck fan who was a member of what became known as "The Monroe 6," a group of fellow teenagers who obsessively followed the movie star paparazzi-style around New York City.
"During Marilyn's time in New York, I and the others photographed her in various locations around the city. We would then run to the drugstore to get our snapshots developed in multiples so that all of us could have all the shots we had taken of her (thus the reason for the different shapes and sizes of the photos my collection)," Collins said. "In the era before Google and GPS and TMZ and smartphones, we were alerted to Marilyn's appearances and whereabouts by sources ranging from Variety Magazine to her Upper East Side hairdresser. Marilyn got to know the six of us well as we journeyed around the city with her and I remember her always being gracious and friendly."
Collins' is auctioning seven of his personalized photographs from 1955, including this Marilyn Monroe Signed Black and White Photograph (est. $2,000+) as well as a never-before-seen group of 27 Rare and Original Black and White Snapshots, spanning 1955-56, depicting Monroe as she was out and about in New York City. Many snaps show her surrounded by her business partner Milton Greene, photographer Sam Shaw, and super-fans Collins and James Haspiel. Collin's collection also offers a group of 38 Rare Color Snapshots from the mid-1950s (est. $1,200) and a charming Original Print Signed Enlargement of Monroe's classic beaming smile (est. $1,600).
"When you saw her in person, she was THE movie star, no doubt about it!" Collins said. "We wanted nothing from her except the opportunity to take her picture or to get her autograph and often times she would sign on the very photographs we had just taken of her the day before."
The Feb. 20 auction also offers a Star-Shaped Light Fixture that Monroe purchased in 1962 in Mexico, especially for her new Spanish-style home in Brentwood, Calif. (est. $4,000).
Additional pieces of Hollywood history in the auction include the 1970 Golden Globe Award awarded to Karen Black for her Best Supporting Actress role in "Five Easy Pieces (est. $10,000+). A 14 karat gold money clip gifted from Frank Sinatra to Montgomery Cliff for Christmas 1954 (est. $2,000) will cross the block as will a Belt Buckle related to Rocky II, gifted by Sylvester Stallone to producer Micheal Click who worked with Sylvester Stallone on four films (est. $1,000+).
Modern memorabilia includes the screen-used high school varsity jacket worn by Lindsay Lohan in the smash 2004 hit "Mean Girls" (est. $4,000+) as well as a Wacky Tie-dye Suit worn by talk show host David Letterman during a 1996 skit filmed in San Francisco (est. $1,200+).