FANS had a chance to grab a piece of Marilyn Monroe at the weekend when personal belongings ranging from bra cups to her little black book and a watercolour she painted for President Kennedy were auctioned in Los Angeles.

The 1962 painting of a red rose fetched $78,000 (£43,000), almost ten times its estimate. The screen siren originally planned to give it to Kennedy for his birthday, and the handwritten inscription reads: “Happy Birthday Pres. Kennedy from Marilyn Monroe.”

But the actress never gave the painting to the President and later inscribed it to herself on her 36th and final birthday on June 1, 1962. She died of a drug overdose on August 5 that year. The second inscription reads: “Happy Birthday June 1, 1962/My Best Wishes/Marilyn/Marilyn.”

Hundreds turned up to bid a total of $1 million for 298 of Monroe’s possessions, including fishnet stockings and suspender belts, a dog licence for her basset hound, Hugo, and a note from her beauty salon telling her how to dye her platinum hair.

The belongings were sold by Monroe’s estate, which is controlled by descendants of her former acting coach, Lee Strasberg, and had been withdrawn from an earlier sale at Christie’s because they were considered too personal.

Darren Julien of Julien’s Auctions, said: “What was amazing about this sale and the reason so many fans came out is that it’s the last time it will ever happen. It’s almost like buying directly from Marilyn.”

He added: “The crowd was cheering. There was one woman who told us her budget was $500. Finally she bid $950 on pantyhose. When she got it she not only screamed, she cried — and the crowd was cheering.”

A British couple who flew to Los Angeles for the sale spent $150,000, including $20,000 on a sun dress, Mr Julien said.

Alan Govinden, the husband, said in a television interview: “My dear lady, being a big fan, had to have at least one item and I promised her we’re going to walk away with something.”

The top price of $90,000 was achieved by Monroe’s address book, containing the private numbers of husbands, lovers and Hollywood friends.

The tan leather ring-bound book, dating from shortly before the actress’s suicide in 1962, lists her ex-husbands Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller as well as stars such as Jack Lemmon, Peter Lawford, Montgomery Clift, John Huston, Henry Fonda, Jack Benny and Yves Montand. Five numbers are given for Frank Sinatra.

The phonebook was bought by goldenpalace.com, an on-line gaming firm that acquired a car that belonged to the new Pope and is using it in an advertising campaign.

A one-page document entitled “Final Judgment of Divorce”, formalising Monroe’s divorce from the baseball star DiMaggio on October 31, 1955, fetched about $12,000. The paper lists Monroe, who was born Norma Jean Mortenson, as plaintiff under the name “Norma Jean DiMaggio”.

Monroe’s bras, estimated at $200 to $300, fetched $3,000 to $6,000. The bra cups brought in $1,800.

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