Items found at celebrity estate sales range from the downright bizarre (like Truman Capote's ashes) to the downright mundane (like Betty White's puzzle collection of beloved pets). While it may seem odd to some to spend big bucks on second-hand celebrity items, there's definitely a market. For shoppers, purchasing these items can be a way to strengthen an emotional connection to their favorite entertainers or artists, or at the very least, a conversation starter that can create a more meaningful living space.
There's no set formula for a celebrity estate or auction experience. You'll be attending a curated auction hosted by Christie's, Sotheby's, or another auction house, and there's no guarantee that the item you've got your eye on won't be too expensive for you. You might attend a sale hosted by a beloved celebrity who's passed away, or someone who's simply trying to clear out their garage. When you go to an in-person estate sale, you'll have to sort through piles of items, large and small, with the ever-present anxiety that you might have missed something in another room or under the piles of items other shoppers are hoarding for themselves.
Still, the uncertainty is a big part of what makes the experience worthwhile, and in the end, when you get your hands on something you never thought was yours, any specific anxieties will prove to be worth it. Below, we spoke to real people about their celebrity estate and auction finds, to find out more about what prompted them to seek out items that once belonged to their idols.
Truman Capote stuffed toy
In 1999, screenwriter and TV producer Stephanie Savage was gifted a copy of the Marilyn Monroe Estate Auction catalog by her then-boyfriend. “When I started flipping through the catalog and got to the section where her makeup case was up for auction, I just burst into tears,” she says. “I felt like there was so much energy in it. It was so intimate, and it really moved me.” Twenty-five years later, Savage continues to be drawn to the intimacy that the Estate Auction brings. Her home is home to some of the most prestigious finds, and the Marilyn Monroe catalog has countless companions. Over the years, she's added auction catalogs to her collection, including those for Elizabeth Taylor, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Bergé, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Savage's first experience with estate shopping was at Bonhams' Truman Capote auction in 2006. She was immediately drawn to a collection of five stuffed animals from the '50s and '60s. She worried they would become too expensive and out of her reach, but they eventually became “very affordable,” and she kept them for nearly 18 years. “Ever since then, I've always felt the power of being able to connect with someone that you really admire and are fascinated by their personality,” she says. “I think it's really special to be able to bring that energy into your own home and share it with friends, family and guests.”
Bidding at Joan Didion's auction was a stark contrast to Capote's auction experience. The item she was most drawn to, Didion's Peacock Chair, sold for 40 times its estimate. Sitting in front of her laptop and watching the bids rise, “it was immediately clear that all reason had vanished from all the bidders. Prices were soaring and emotions were taking over,” Savage recalls. Still, she managed to get her hands on a Robert Rauschenberg print, which now sits in her bedroom above a wicker chair that was previously meant to replace Didion's. “Things that belong to other people are things I've always treasured and sought out,” Savage says. “This is a particular iteration that I'm really lucky to be able to enjoy and share with other people.”
