Michael Jacksons most iconic stage wear poised to fetch record-breaking sum at auction
Michael Jackson’s legendary gloves, loafers and “Thriller” jacket are headed to auction — with the iconic items estimated to fetch well over $1 million.Los Angeles-based Julien’s Auctions on Wednesday unveiled four pieces worn by Jackson ahead of a December auction in Abu Dhabi.The items on offer are rhinestone-studded glove and loafers the King of Pop donned when he debuted the Moonwalk on the 1983 “Motown 25” TV special, as well the red-and-black leather jacket and loafers he sported in the “Thriller” music video.“The Thriller jacket is the one the world has never stopped talking about, and we are thrilled to unveil it alongside the rhinestone-studded glove Michael Jackson wore when he debuted the moonwalk,” said Martin Nolan, co-founder and executive director of Julien’s Auctions.He added that the pieces carry “a moment that changed pop culture forever.”The famous Motown 25 glove is billed as the “Holy Grail of Michael Jackson memorabilia” and carries the highest estimated bid of the collection, at $600,000 to $800,000, according to the auction’s official website.The item last went to auction in November 2009, when Hong Kong businessman Hoffman Ma bought it at Julien’s for a then-record $430,000.Over the past 17 years, it has been shown as a major cultural attraction, drawing fans from around the world.The black leather Florsheim Como moc-toe tassel loafers that Jackson wore in 1983 while performing “Billie Jean” in rehearsals for the NBC special, where he unveiled the Moonwalk to the public, are estimated to fetch between $60,000 and $80,000.
The estimated value of Jackson’s black and candy-red calf leather jacket from the 1983 “Thriller” video is only available upon request.It has silver cuff buckles, a red silk lining, a trapunto-stitched collar, and winged shoulders.
It bears a “Marc Laurent Paris” label and is inscribed inside, “To Bush and Dennis All My Love Michael Jackson.”It is one of two jackets m...