A bidding war has broken out over Marilyn Monroe’s bra as punters splash out over $5,000 for the provocative piece.

The item, a 36C brassiere dating from the 1950s, is up for auction on Thursday along with dozens of other items that belonged to the Hollywood legend.

The starting bid was just $25 but it soon hit the thousands and quickly surpassed the estimate of $1,000 to $2,000 as 13 bids have already been registered.

“It’s priceless. A lot of people will wait until Thursday to bid, I expect it to reach over $20,000 easily. There’s interest all over the world” says Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions.

“People are obsessed with her breasts,” he adds, saying the last time one of Monroe’s bras was up for auction a woman asked to smell it.

“People want to feel close to her and there’s nothing more personal and intimate. She created this brand and part of that brand is her breasts,” he said.

Also expected to cause a bidding war at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills at 10am Thursday, are the gates to the Brentwood home where Monroe tragically died by probable suicide.

The wood structures, seen in iconic news footage from the day the model was wheeled out of the home on a gurney, stayed with the house until 1984.

Monroe bought them on July 19, 1962 for $314 just a couple weeks before she died. “They weigh 2,000 pounds, they were in disrepair, they’ve been restored,” Nolan explained.

The bombshell’s make-up is also of particular interest; her lipstick has reached $7,000 in early bidding and the price is expected to shoot up much higher.

“Again, the brand of Marilyn, what color lipstick did she use? Which mascara did she wear?” asks Nolan. He adds, “The fascination is her beauty.”

The auction is being presented by Julien’s and TCM as part of 100 Years of Marilyn to celebrate her 100th birthday.

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