Marilyn Monroe Sofa

At Next Fairfield Auction Event

A sofa used on the set of the film Some Like It Hot in 1959 will be sold at Fairfield Auction in Newtown this weekend. Found in the estate of a former film critic, the sofa was purchased by family after filming at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, where much of the film was shot.

Some Like It Hot was voted #1 on the American Film Institute’s Funniest Movies and featured Marilyn Monroe with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. It also garnered six Oscar nominations.

The Moderne sofa will be sold with a letter from the consignor, who was present at the Del Coronado auction. The lot is estimated at $800 to $1,200.

Among the other varied offerings in the July 13 sale will be a large selection of antique furniture from America and Europe. Ranging from a Chippendale ox-bow secretary desk from Boston, circa 1770 to a Fritz Hansen Dining Table circa 1960, there is a large variety of styles. According to owner Jack DeStories, “Most of the furniture is very affordable. People don’t realize how many quality things go for just a few hundred dollars.”

Other items of interest in Sunday’s sale include paintings by Norman Rockwell, Benjamin Chamney and George Elmer Browne as well as estate jewelry, carpets, antique clocks and fine silver. A matched pair of crystal chandeliers, several bronze sculptures and a selection of glass and porcelain by Lalique, Webb, Meissen and Sevres should also find bidders.

Fairfield Auction made national headlines in May with the sale of a Tlingit warrior’s helmet for $2.185 million, a world record for a Native American object at auction.

Preview will take place Thursday through Saturday, July 10 to 12, from 11 am to 4 pm, and Sunday from 9-11 am at the Fairfield Auction gallery, 53 Church Hill Road in Newtown. The auction can also be previewed online at FairfieldAuction.com.

Call the gallery at 364-1555 for additional information.