More August 2011 Hotlines

The dress Marilyn Monroe wore in the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch sold for the amazing price of $5.5 million (including the 20 percent buyer’s premium). It was worn in the scene where she stands over a subway vent and the dress blows up to her shoulders. It was part of Debbie Reynolds’s collection of movie memorabilia housed in her now-bankrupt Las Vegas museum. The “Itch dress” breaks the 1999 record of $1,267,500 for the dress Monroe wore when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John Kennedy in 1962.

Buy some new Forever stamps issued by the U.S Postal Service. A new series honors the Pioneers of American Industrial Design who created Fiestaware, the Brownie camera, the Anywhere Lamp, the 1961 IBM Selectric typewriter, American Modern dinnerware and other classics. The stamps are available at Shop.USPS.com or at your local post office.

Clarice Cliff ceramics with very bold patterns and colors sell for high prices—up to thousands of dollars. Look for her signature and the name of one of her famous design series, “Bizarre” or “Fantasque.” One of her best pieces is a two-handled Fantasque vase in the “Orange House Lotus” pattern.

Vintage linens from Eastern Europe are being imported and sold at some large U.S. flea markets. Included are grain bags, towels, sheets, tablecloths and more. Both printed and embroidered textiles are included. They’re less expensive than 19th-century American linens but lack the historic appeal.

A craft-fair artist is making jewelry by recycling old sterling silverware. Fork tines are joined by links to make bracelets, and handles are curved to make rings, bracelets or pendants. Since so much old silver is being sold these days for its high meltdown value, the loss of a sterling spoon or fork is not as depressing as it once would have been.