Streisand holds charity auction

The auction includes dresses worn in films, concerts and at shows

US singer and actress Barbra Streisand is auctioning off some of her most treasured possessions as she "consolidates" her properties.

The Oscar winning performer is selling items from her vast collections of clothes, movie costumes and household furniture - in all more than 500 lots.

A dress worn by Streisand in The Way We Were sold for $6,000 (£3,670).

A Stickley china cabinet went for $15,000 and a wig worn in On A Clear Day You Can See Forever fetched $3,500.

Proceeds from the two-day sale will go to the Streisand Foundation.

Thousands of people have bid online, over the telephone and in person for items from her home.

For decades, Streisand has been collecting art and furniture from flea markets and auctions around the world.

They include art deco fixtures, oriental rugs and a baby grand piano.

But the items that were expected to attract the most attention are the personal mementoes from the 67-year-old performer's long career in Hollywood, the BBC's Peter Bowes reports from Los Angeles.

They include costumes from films like Funny Girl and Meet the Fockers.

Darren Julien, president of Julien's Auction, which is holding the sale, said the items on sale were from Streisand's New York apartment and homes in Malibu and Beverly Hills.

"Barbra has consolidated her homes to Malibu, and these are items that don't fit into her new house, but they're items that she's loved for many years," he said.

One Streisand fan, Barbra Gothard-Bolle - who attended the auction in Los Angeles - explained the artist's enduring appeal.

"She's Barbra, darling! She's iconic!

"She has had a history in America not only as an incredible voice but as a director, as a producer, as a philanthropist. You know, there are people who come and go in the industry but she reinvents herself every decade."

The auction coincides with the release of Streisand's latest CD, which debuted at at the top of the US album chart.

The singer is the first artist ever to have had a number one album in five decades - her first was in 1964.

The proceeds from the sale of her household possessions will benefit the Streisand Foundation, a charity that promotes humanitarian, environmental and children's causes.