Online Marilyn Monroe auction takes in $400,000

A collection of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia culled from the collection of the late screen siren's half-sister and niece fetched $US417,478 during a three-week, on-line auction, Sotheby's said today.

While several of the sale's expected highlights, including Monroe's wedding dress from the first of her three marriages, failed to find buyers or in some cases even bidders, Sotheby's said collectors paid more than $US20,000 apiece for three of her dresses.

"The star of Marilyn's iconic status burns as brightly today, 38 years after her untimely death, as it ever has," said Leila Dunbar, senior vice president and director of Sotheby's collectibles department.

Monroe's possessions have approached mythic status on the memorabilia market, especially since a 1999 auction at Christie's raked in $US13.4 million, including $US1.27 million for the infamous gown the actress wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy at his 1962 Madison Square Garden birthday party.

Among the top lots was a typed letter from the White House dated April 11, 1962, thanking Monroe for appearing at the president's 45th birthday celebration. It sold for $US12,100, including the auction house's commission, after a pre-sale estimate of $US15,000 to $US20,000.