The descendants of Marlene Dietrich are auctioning off all the piddly little tchotchkas they say “are just gathering dust” in storage. Items from her estate are being exhibited at The Hollywood Museum through April 6. The collection of personal and professional pieces are also available for bid online at auctionmystuff.com.
Really fascinating memorabilia, with starting bids ranging from $5 to $5,000, will be going on the block, including letters from Ernest Hemingway, Sarah Bernhardt (!) a fabulous Stork Club compact, a plaque from her dressing room, silverwear, jewelry, books, and a buttload of Deco trinkets. Also, interestingly, a Kermit the Frog watch (?), and a Christmas card from Pedro Almodóvar. I might bid on a pewter flask, an old Underwood typewriter, and some cookie moulds. It’s just TOO EXCITING.
Dietrich’s grandson David J Riva tells ContactMusic he is adamant her relatives are not just out to make a quick buck.
“To be honest, I hate to part with most of these things, but a friend recently reminded me that Marlene has so many new and old fans that it was pretty stupid to let some of these iconic items just sit in safety deposit boxes or even worse, in storage…
“I have never felt that displaying these things was right, as her grandson it felt a little – if not a lot – pretentious. So, in fact, I wasn’t enjoying them either. The best solution was to let them go to good homes where they can really be appreciated and not just gather dust.”
*Side eye.*
