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| The world of Marilyn Monroe Collectibles is vast...the sheer volume of plates, dolls, books, magazines, etc. can leave your head swimming! Each month, marilyncollector.com will feature a new type of collectible on this page, focusing on the cost and rarity of the featured items, and interviewing a collector who focuses on the featured items. Each feature will then become part of a growing archive of Marilyn collectible information, always available to Collectors right here at marilyncollector.com! |
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Our featured collectible for the month of September is Marilyn in Life magazine. During her lifetime, Marilyn appeared on the cover of Life magazine 6 times. She has also appeared on the cover a few times since her death. This month we will focus mainly on the covers during Marilyn's life, from the first cover in 1952 to the last, just over a month before her death in 1962. |
| Marilyn's Life magazine covers are popular and fairly easy to find vintage collectibles. The trick to collecting Life covers is to find them in mint condition. Things like creases, address labels, tears, or discolouration all detract from the value of a magazine. Also, the cover alone is worth less than a complete magazine. Marilyn's Life covers are large and perfect for framing. They are generally not difficult to find on ebay, but mint copies are rarer than slightly damaged ones. A general rule with magazines is "the older the more valuable". Think about it: an April 7, 1952 Life in mint condition requires that the magazine have survived nearly 50 years without damage! Below are Marilyn's 6 covers of Life during her lifetime, along with the estimated value of a clean copy (excellent to mint condition). Below that is a list of Marilyn's Life covers after her death, followed by Life magazines in which Marilyn appeared but was not on the cover. | ||
 Date: April 7, 1952 Photographer: Phillipe Halsman Estimated value: $70 - $100 |
 Date: May 25, 1953 Photographer: Edward Clark Estimated Value: $30 - $40 |
 Date: April 20, 1959 Photographer: Richard Avedon Estimated value: $25 - $35 |
 Date: November 9, 1959 Photographer: Phillip Halsman Estimated Value: $20 - $30 |
 Date: August 15, 1960 Photographer: John Bryson Estimated value: $20 - $30 |
 Date: June 22, 1962 Photographer: Lawrence Schiller/William Woodfield Estimated value: $30 - $40 |
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August 17, 1962. Estimated Value: $25- $35 |
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August 7, 1964. Estimated Value: $25 - $35 |
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September 8, 1972. Estimated value: $15 - $25 |
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October, 1981. Estimated value: $8 - $12 |
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August, 1982. Estimated value: $8 - $12 |
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| October 10, 1949 $20 - $30 |
January 1, 1951 $5 - $10 |
October 15, 1951 $35- $45 |
April 28, 1952 $10 - $15 |
October 13, 1952 $18 - $22 |
September 21, 1953 $10 - $15 |
| January 24, 1954 $5 - $10 |
March 1, 1954 $5 - $10 |
September 27, 1954 $10 - $15 |
October 18, 1954 $5 - $10 |
November 29, 1954 $15 - $20 |
May 30, 1955 $8 - $12 |
| May 12, 1956 $10 - $15 |
June 16, 1956 $12 - $17 |
August 27, 1956 $20 - $25 |
June 3, 1957 $20 - $25 |
December 22, 1958 $20 - $25 |
March 21, 1960 $5 - $10 |
| November 21, 1960 $10 - $15 |
December 1960 $5- $10 |
January 13, 1961 $18 - $22 |
August 3, 1962 $12 - $18 |
January 23, 1963 $25 - $30 |
November 4, 1966 $4 - $8 |
| July 23, 1971 $10 - $15 |
Fall 1990 $2 - $3 | August, 1992 $2 - $3 | |||
If you know of any appearances in Life magazine that have been missed here, please email leslie@marilyncollector.com. Values are based on "Marilyn Monroe: The Collector's and Dealer's Price and Identification Guide" by Denis C. Jackson, and my own observations on eBay and other similar sites. These values are intended as guidelines only, and fluctuate with supply and demand. | |||||
Do you focus on collecting a certain type of Marilyn memorabilia and would like to be interviewed for this feature? Email leslie@marilyncollector.com | |||||
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