This Month in Collecting History - June 2016
By Mike McLeod

June 1, 1938: Superman arrived on Earth in Action Comics #1, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Featuring the Man of Steel hefting a green car of steel on the cover, a 9.0-graded copy flew off eBay for $3.2 million in 2014.

June 1, 1926: The birthday of Norman Jean Mortenson/Marilyn Monroe. Also, see June 18 and June 27.

June 3, 2011: Marshal Matt Dillon rode off into the sunset. James Arness at the age of 88 passed away at home. Best known for his 20 seasons on TV’s Gunsmoke, Arness initially turned down the role, but John Wayne convinced him to take it (Snopes.com). High Noon Western Americana sold Marshal Dillon’s Colt .45 for $59,000 in 2014.

June 5, 1718: Thomas Chippendale was baptized; no record of his exact birth date has been found. Legendary for creating furniture, a George II Padouck cabinet-on-stand attributed to him, 1755-1760, sold at Christie’s in 2008 for $5.32 million.

Photo Right: George II Padouch cabinet-on-stand
(Photo courtesy of Christies.com)

June 10, 1895: The first African American to win an Academy Award, Hattie McDaniel, was born. She won Best Supporting Actress for Gone With The Wind. A presentation copy of the GWTW script given to her by David O. Selznick and signed by him auctioned for$18,300 at Bonhams in 2010.

June 12, 1929: Anne Frank’s birthday. Her diary is on display at the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam with her other diaries and manuscripts. A signed copy of Anne Frank’s Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Aus Grimms Märchen) left behind and later found in a second-hand shop sold for $62,500 on May 5, 2016 at Swann’s Auction Galleries.

Photo Right: Anne Frank’s Grimm's Fairy Tales (Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries)

June 17, 2014: The British Guiana 1c magenta stamp sold for $9.4 million at Sotheby’s, the highest price paid to date for a stamp.

June 18: 2011: Marilyn Monroe’s white Subway Dress from The Seven Year Itch auctioned for $5.6 million at Profiles in History, the most paid to date for a Hollywood dress. The scene on a street had to be reshot on a sound stage due to noise from a large crowd of reporters and onlookers (Biography.com, 9/15/14). The dress was part of a collection owned by actress Debbie Reynolds.

June 19: Debuting this day were: the Tasmanian Devil in Devil May Hare, 1954; the Garfield cartoon strip, 1978; and Guy Lombardo, 1902. A Tasmanian Devil 3.5 x 5-inch production cel from Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare (1964) spun up $1,553 in 2013 at Heritage Auctions.

June 22, 1969: The star Judy Garland (Frances Ethel Gumm) passed away. Her blue and white gingham pinafore "Dorothy" dress from The Wizard of Oz conjured up $1,565,000 at Bonhams in 2015.

June 25, 2011: A tintype photo of Billy the Kid sold for $2.3 million at Brian Lebel’s Old West Auction. This photo gave rise to the myth that he was a left-handed gun because as a tintype, the image was flipped (Aboutbillythekid.com).

Photo Right: Billy the Kid

June 25, 2011: One of Michael Jackson’s two black and red leather jackets worn in Thriller sold for $1.8 million at Julien’s Auction.

June 27, 2015: Marilyn Monroe’s grave marker from the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles sold for $212,500 at Julien’s Auctions.

(Photo courtesy of Julien’s Auctions)

June 28, 2012: : Delightful memorabilia from the movie Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1979) sold at Profiles in History: “Veruca Salt’s” Everlasting Gobstopper (one of only two known to exist), $40,000; Willy Wonka’s outfit including the purple velvet coat, slacks, white shirt, purple and violet lamé vest and floral satin tie, $60,000; Willy Wonka’s brown felt top hat sold separately for $27,500; and an unforgettable Oompa Loompa costume of rust-colored shirt with striped collar and cuffs, white jodhpurs, leather slippers with pom-poms and a green wig for $25,000. (All prices without buyer’s premium.)