AN AUCTION Streisand's personal treasures for sale.

Byline: Sandra Barrera, Staff Writer

The wooden "a" that hung on the wall of Barbra Streisand's New York apartment as a reminder of the one she once dropped from her name is hitting the auction block.

You can see it before somebody - maybe even you - snaps it up.

The distressed gold-painted letter, along with more than 500 items from the entertainer's private estate, will be exhibited free to the public at The Beverly Hilton starting today, and in the days leading up to "The Collection of Barbra Streisand" sale by Julien's Auctions on Oct. 17 and 18.

Sale items include fine and decorative art, Americana furnishings, Art Deco fixtures, oriental rugs, Native American baskets and her Yamaha baby grand piano, along with movie memorabilia and costumes from throughout her career.

"It's going to be a Barbra Streisand museum," says Darren Julien, the president and CEO of Julien's Auctions, which specializes in entertainment memorabilia and high-profile estate sales.

The exhibition and auction come on the heels of Streisand's just-released "Love is the Answer," her first chart-topping collection of new songs since 2005's "Guilty Pleasures" and her first album since "Live in Concert 2006."

Julien calls the timing "pure coincidence," but he adds the excitement surrounding the album can only benefit the auction.

All proceeds from the auction benefit The Streisand Foundation, which supports humanitarian and environmental causes worldwide.

In the catalog's opening letter, Streisand writes about her passion for philanthropy, as well as the years spent amassing her collection.

"From my early days in New York to discovering the delights of Europe, in my travels from Northern California to the little towns in New England, from flea markets to auction houses, I have found and collected these personal treasures."

At one time or another these "treasures" have been in Streisand's various homes. When she finished her estate in Malibu, the pieces that didn't fit in with her new decor went into storage, including the one listed as Barbra's Extra "A" ($200 to $300) featured with a photograph of it in her kitchen.

"It's a quirky piece, but fans love stuff like that because it's got a great story," Julien says.

Much of the items in the collection are home furnishings. There are Arts & Crafts furniture and accessories including a Gustav Stickley tall-back sewing rocker ($6,000 to 8,000), designed by Harvey Ellis and inlaid with pewter and copper, and a Charles Limbert table lamp ($2,500 to $3,500) with a cylindrical hammered copper base and a copper-and-mica-cutout shade.

A one-of-a-kind oil painting attributed to the Dutch artist Kees van Dongen is one of the most valuable items in the collection, with a worth estimated at $100,000 to $200,000.

"It's been exhibited in many museums as Van Dongen, but it's not in the Van Dongen catalog of paintings so that's what keeps it from being even more valuable," Julien says, adding the oil on canvas is signed with initials and dated in the lower right.

Other items include an antique wood and plaster female form mannequin with a painted face and adjustable arms ($400 to $600), mixed metal vintage eagle weather vane ($1,200 to $1,800) and a vintage dental cabinet ($2,500 to $4,500) that Streisand purchased when she was 18.

And, there are costumes from throughout her movie career - a pink cotton robe ($2,000 to $3,000) from "The Way We Were;" eight pieces from "Yentl" featuring two black-and-white-striped sock garters, two black yarmulkes, necktie, grey wool "Greek Fisherman's hat" with black braided hatband, tallit katan and a cream undershirt ($300 to $500); and a pink Carelli Costumes New York bridesmaid dress ($600 to $800) from "The Mirror Has Two Faces."

The exhibition is open through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Registration is required to bid in the live auction at The Beverly Hilton. You have until noon Friday. Just visit www.juliensauctions.com where you will also be able to watch a live stream of the auction on the weekend and bid by phone or proxy.

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The Collection of Barbra Streisand Public Exhibition

Where: The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills.

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Friday.

Admission: Free. Information is available at www.juliensauctions. com.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) The oil painting titled "La Chanteuse," above, is attributed to Kees van Dongen. Its worth is estimated to be $100,000 to $200,000. The "Yentl" costume pieces, far left, include two adjustable sock garters, two yarmulkes, necktie, "Greek Fisherman's hat," tallit katan and a cotton undershirt. The price is $300 to $500. An antique wood and plaster female form mannequin, at left, features a painted face with adjustable arms. It is valued at $400 to $600.

(4 -- 6 -- color) Above, a Charles Limbert table lamp with hammered copper base and copper- and-mica-cutout shade ($2,500 to $3,500). The vintage weather vane, left, features a copper eagle with brass directional. ($1,200 to $1,800). The Gustav Stickley tall-back sewing rocker with inlaid slats, below, was designed by Harvey Ellis ($6,000 to $8,000).