Never underestimate the power of a monogram to tell a great story. We loved reading this article about a 1950s Mercedes Benz going up for auction for a nice little premium, thanks to Marilyn Monroe’s monogram. Her MM monogram, in Chancery font in case you wanted to know, was found on the walnut dashboard of the car as well as on bespoke travel luggage fitted for the car.
Monogramming was hugely popular amongst film stars in the first half of the 20th century in the USA, contributing to the rise in popularity of the monogramming concept more broadly throughout America. As always, what celebrities do, the masses follow. Marilyn Monroe was definitely the celebrity influencer of her time and evidently still continues to sway opinion… and value!
The car, a mint-condition white Mercedes-Benz 170 S, was apparently used by Marilyn to travel around Greece while on holiday there in 1956. She married Arthur Miller that year, and died of a drug overdose at age 36 in 1962.
The car is expected to sell for between £120,000 and £160,000 when Iconic Auctioneers puts it up for sale at the Supercar Fest at Sywell Aerodrome, Northants, on May 16 2026.
https://autos.yahoo.com/classic-and-collector/articles/blonde-bombshell-mercedes-benz-surprise-060000038.html