Michael’s Memorabilia Auction in New York
"The first Monowak glove," a white glove made for playing golf with the brand “Made in Korea” engraved inside it, and Swarovski crystals attached to it 26 years ago on Michael’s order, which was obtained during the historic performance of Billie Jean at the Motown 25 ceremony in 1983 by the legendary pop music figure, was bought at a price of $350,000 (plus $70,000 for fees and taxes) by a Hong Kong hotel company at the November 21 auction at the Hard Rock Cafe.
This was the highest price paid for memorabilia auctioned that night. The first bid announced for the glove was $10,000, and it immediately rose to $120,000, and a minute later to $220,000, continuing upward. The estimated selling price by Julien’s Auctions for this glove—which is actually worth $30—was between $40,000 and $60,000.
The white glove is a symbol of Michael. Many of his gloves are in the hands of collectors. For example, in September this year, one of his gloves sold for $49,000 in Melbourne. But the distinguishing feature of the 1983 glove compared to other gloves after that is that it was sewn for the left hand, and its score is also because it recalls one of the most important live performance events in history. Michael performed Monowak for the first time with this glove. Two nights before that performance, he had been practicing this move in his kitchen.
After the performance of the song, Michael gave the white glove as a gift and instead of a signature to Walter Clyde Ereny, a member of the Commodores music group, which also included Lionel Richie. Michael had refused to sign for Clyde many times because, in his view, Clyde was more famous than him. After Michael’s death, Clyde donated this gift to Julien’s Auctions.
Other items put up for auction included Michael’s sequined shoes and socks, a portrait he drew as a child of Charlie Chaplin, a T-shirt signed by him, a Mercedes-Benz car model from 1985, handwritten notes, and several posters.
All these items sold for amounts two to three times—and even 10 times—higher than what was estimated. Buyers from Australia, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, and Japan participated in the auction by phone or via the internet. The noise inside the hall was deafening.
During the auction, as the crazy bids kept rising, the fans’ continuous screams grew louder—those famous screams that Michael’s presence among the crowd would trigger.
The glove that Michael wore during the Bad Tour in 1989 sold for $225,000—20 times its estimated $8,000. The Monowak dance cap, which was estimated at $2,000, sold for $22,000. A signed photo piece of the Jackson 5 sold for $1,600, while it was estimated at $200 to $400.
Seventy pieces of Michael memorabilia were only part of the items put up for auction, but their dominance over the rest of the auction was clear. In the auction of 300 pieces of “music idols” memorabilia, there were items from Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and people like Mariah Carey. All these items were placed on stage in the Hard Rock Cafe hall, and two giant images of Michael Jackson could be seen on both sides of the stage. A large image of his glove was also placed in the middle.
The 5-star hotel that bought Michael’s sequined glove will display it next year along with nine other pieces of Michael memorabilia purchased in this same auction. The sequined socks, Charlie Chaplin’s portrait, and the T-shirt Michael wore in the Thriller video are among these memorabilia. The hotel officials spent months discussing the purchase of this glove. The person who made the purchase on behalf of the hotel says:
"Michael Jackson is an legendary showman, and it’s very important that we have some of his memorabilia."
In a statement, he said they plan to honor this 20th-century legend by holding an exhibition of Michael’s memorabilia.
Source: eMJey / Yahoo / AP
This was the highest price paid for memorabilia auctioned that night. The first bid announced for the glove was $10,000, and it immediately rose to $120,000, and a minute later to $220,000, continuing upward. The estimated selling price by Julien’s Auctions for this glove—which is actually worth $30—was between $40,000 and $60,000.
The white glove is a symbol of Michael. Many of his gloves are in the hands of collectors. For example, in September this year, one of his gloves sold for $49,000 in Melbourne. But the distinguishing feature of the 1983 glove compared to other gloves after that is that it was sewn for the left hand, and its score is also because it recalls one of the most important live performance events in history. Michael performed Monowak for the first time with this glove. Two nights before that performance, he had been practicing this move in his kitchen.
After the performance of the song, Michael gave the white glove as a gift and instead of a signature to Walter Clyde Ereny, a member of the Commodores music group, which also included Lionel Richie. Michael had refused to sign for Clyde many times because, in his view, Clyde was more famous than him. After Michael’s death, Clyde donated this gift to Julien’s Auctions.
Other items put up for auction included Michael’s sequined shoes and socks, a portrait he drew as a child of Charlie Chaplin, a T-shirt signed by him, a Mercedes-Benz car model from 1985, handwritten notes, and several posters.
All these items sold for amounts two to three times—and even 10 times—higher than what was estimated. Buyers from Australia, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, and Japan participated in the auction by phone or via the internet. The noise inside the hall was deafening.
During the auction, as the crazy bids kept rising, the fans’ continuous screams grew louder—those famous screams that Michael’s presence among the crowd would trigger.
The glove that Michael wore during the Bad Tour in 1989 sold for $225,000—20 times its estimated $8,000. The Monowak dance cap, which was estimated at $2,000, sold for $22,000. A signed photo piece of the Jackson 5 sold for $1,600, while it was estimated at $200 to $400.
Seventy pieces of Michael memorabilia were only part of the items put up for auction, but their dominance over the rest of the auction was clear. In the auction of 300 pieces of “music idols” memorabilia, there were items from Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and people like Mariah Carey. All these items were placed on stage in the Hard Rock Cafe hall, and two giant images of Michael Jackson could be seen on both sides of the stage. A large image of his glove was also placed in the middle.
The 5-star hotel that bought Michael’s sequined glove will display it next year along with nine other pieces of Michael memorabilia purchased in this same auction. The sequined socks, Charlie Chaplin’s portrait, and the T-shirt Michael wore in the Thriller video are among these memorabilia. The hotel officials spent months discussing the purchase of this glove. The person who made the purchase on behalf of the hotel says:
"Michael Jackson is an legendary showman, and it’s very important that we have some of his memorabilia."
In a statement, he said they plan to honor this 20th-century legend by holding an exhibition of Michael’s memorabilia.
Source: eMJey / Yahoo / AP