Joan Didion’s estate sale netted almost $2 million. Here’s a look at what items sold

Sacramento’s native daughter Joan Didion made a name for herself far beyond the tree-lined streets of California’s capital city, and the sale of her belongings after her 2021 death is a demonstration of the celebrity she earned as a writer.

Her family members expected to raise $300,00 to $400,000 for the contents of her apartment in New York City’s Upper East Side neighborhood, her niece Kelly Didion said.

Instead, the online auction in October 2022 brought in $1.9 million.

“The auction did amazingly well, way beyond our expectations,” Kelly Didion said.

Among the the items that went up for bid were a pair of Celine faux tortoiseshell sunglasses worn by Didion in a 2015 ad campaign for the French fashion company. They sold for $27,000.

Another pair of Cartier silver bowls were estimated to sell for $250-$350. The bowls went for $30,000. A small desk clock ended up selling for $35,000 despite it being estimated to be worth no more than $200.

Among the more expensive items sold were an oak desk Didion used in her office and a 1968 photograph of Didion by the famed Los Angeles photojournalist Julian Wasser. It was purchased for a combined total of $87,000.

Kelly Didion said the Sacramento Historical Society became one of two recipients of the auction proceeds after she became aware last year that the society was involved in fundraising for scholarships at Sacramento City College in honor of her aunt.

The other recipient was the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. The money is earmarked to fund research into Parkinson’s disease, the affliction that killed Joan Didion.

Kelly Didion said the remaining $100,000 raised at the auction was used to pay expenses of the estate sale.