James Dean love letter to Queens girlfriend sells for $32,500 at RR Auction

NEW YORK — A two-page love letter James Dean wrote to his Forest Hills girlfriend sold for $32,500 at RR Auction's Remarkable Rarities sale on Sept. 20, the auction house said. The letter, written in 1954, about a year before the actor’s death at 24, was accompanied by its original envelope and a photo of his Palomino horse, Cisco, and was part of RR Auction’s catalog of Hollywood memorabilia.

Written from Burbank, California, a month after Dean arrived in Hollywood to begin filming East of Eden, the note provides a rare, intimate glimpse of the star beyond his screen image. In the two pages, Dean tells Barbara Glenn that he has fallen in love, writes of his longing for his New York sweetheart, and expresses affection for Cisco. He opens with the line, “I haven’t written because I have fallen in love,” and pleads for her not to send a card more fragrant than his own, adding, “Your card smelled so good, please don’t do that.” The letter also signals his plans to possibly use Cisco in a future film, illustrating a personal side that fans rarely see.

The note was owned by a European memorabilia collector, and its sale underscores how rare handwritten letters from James Dean remain desirable keepsakes for collectors. Bobby Livingston, RR Auction’s executive vice president, emphasized that the letter offers an intimate personal view of Dean, not just the public persona associated with his iconic roles. “Given his tragically short life, handwritten letters from James Dean are extremely rare,” he said. “What makes this one so special is that it’s a personal note from Hollywood to his girlfriend — an intimate glimpse of James Dean the person, not just the icon.”

Barbara Glenn, who was introduced to Dean by their mutual friend Martin Landau in New York City in the early 1950s, dated the actor for about two years before he moved to California. She later married actor Mark Gordon and had a son, Keith Gordon, who has spoken about his mother’s letters in interviews. Keith told Closer magazine that the letters were kept as a family secret because their father was jealous, and he recalled that his mother’s romance with Dean was described by Keith as significant in their family history. “It was this weird semi–family secret because my dad was super jealous. I think it was her first big romance,” Keith said. He also shared that one of his parents’ deathbed requests was for his mother never to get rid of the letters, while his father supposedly urged the opposite: “Please, whatever you do, get rid of the letters!” These anecdotes illustrate how personal archives can become tangled legacies within families.

The connection between Glenn and Dean dates to a period when both were pursuing acting opportunities in New York and beyond. Glenn’s relationship to Dean, though brief, remains a notable footnote in the broader story of a rising star who would die far too young. The two-page letter to Glenn arrived in an era when Dean was transitioning from stage work to film, a move that would help launch his enduring cultural impact in East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. Dean’s late-1950s fame rests on his volatile screen presence, but items like this hand-written note show a more intimate chapter in his life—one that collectors and fans alike find compelling for the human scenes it reveals.

RR Auction described the Remarkable Rarities sale as a showcase for historically significant pieces from the entertainment world, and the Dean letter fits that mold by offering a personal voice from a performer whose life and career ended abruptly. The auction house’s catalog notes that handwritten letters from Dean are rare, and that this letter’s content—his feelings for a girlfriend, his muse, and his horse—provides fans with a window into the actor’s private life during a pivotal moment in his career. The letter’s sale price reflects ongoing demand for Hollywood provenance and the enduring fascination with Dean, whose work continues to resonate with new generations of audiences.

In sum, the sale marks another milestone in the ongoing curation of James Dean’s legacy through personal artifacts. The letter’s combination of intimate confession, early Hollywood context, and the inclusion of items like the envelope and Cisco’s photo helps illuminate the man behind the legend, while also highlighting the market for rare, authentic artifacts tied to a culture-defining era.