A platinum and diamond eternity band set with thirty-five baguette-cut diamonds, given to Marilyn Monroe by Joe DiMaggio after their 1954 wedding will hit the auction block this December. Profiles in History will be hosting the sale.The wedding band sold initially in 1999 at the now famous Christie's auction, "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe." The hammer price in 1999 was $772,500.
Excitement is brewing as this is the first "high-ticket item" to come to auction again from the 1999 Christie's sale. The wedding band, I believe, was the second highest priced item in the sale, preceded only by the Jean Luis gown Marilyn wore when she sang Happy Birthday to President Kennedy. This gown fetched at whopping $1,267,500.00, which is still today the highest price ever paid for a personal gown. Of course it's now very well known that the highest price ever paid for a film costume was $5.6 million for the white Billy Travilla designed halter top worn by Monroe in The Seven Year Itch.Interestingly, news reports about the ring being auctioned are stating that due the fact the ring is missing one of the diamonds it's expected to sell for less than it did at the 1999 Christie's auction. Well, the diamond was missing in 1999, and that didn't appear to have much effect on the sale of the ring at that time. Perhaps reporters are failing to recognize that buyers will be bidding on Marilyn Monroe's wedding band, and the fact that it's missing one of the diamonds will have no impact on the hammer price.
The big question is, will it sell for more than it did in 1999? If recent auctions of Marilyn Monroe items are any indication, (Marilyn Monroe Dress Breaks Record at Auction), this ring will very likely sell for a seven-figure hammer price.
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