New York, January 3, 1961. Single oblong sheet, approximately 3 x 8 in. (76 x 203 mm) (sight). Partially-printed Bankers Trust Company check, boldly signed by Marilyn Monroe in blue ink, drawing on her account for the Government Employees Insurance Company, for $278.94. Bank's perforated stamp at center, just touching "M" in Marilyn. In mat with an early portrait of Monroe, and unexamined out of frame, 18 x 14 1/2 in. (457 x 368 mm).

During 1961, Monroe (1926-62) was met with several career setbacks and personal difficulties. In January, she and her husband Arthur Miller divorced, and her last complete film, John Huston's The Misfits, was released to mixed reviews. Health complications, and her severe drug use, prevented her from working on any new projects for the remainder of the year.