The hammer dropped fast in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Michael Jackson’s single right-hand stage glove—the shimmering emblem of his stadium-conquering prime—found a buyer on June 3 for €113,737, leading an intense bidding sprint at French auction house Aguttes. The piece, catalogued as Lot 14, comfortably satisfied its €100,000 to €150,000 estimate.
Pop royalty still commands cash. Around 50 personal and performance artifacts crossed the block at 6 pm, drawing transatlantic interest for pieces chronicling Jackson’s rise from solo trailblazer to global spectacle. Norwegian collector Richard Fossaas had originally assembled the hoard with dreams of building a permanent museum. When that plan stalled, the catalog drifted to a New York private collector before surfacing in the Paris suburbs. Aguttes appraisers had tagged the entire lot between €500,000 and €1 million.
Yet performance wear drove the room. A black sequinned stage jacket listed as Lot 10 crushed its €50,000-to-€70,000 target, settling at €75,825 after frantic floor exchanges. Jackson’s left-hand stage gloves held firm ground as well—Lot 24 cleared €36,648, while Lot 43 locked down €32,857. Bidders even scrambled for video apparel; a black Dexter Wong T-shirt worn in connection with the 1995 "Scream" short film climbed to €24,011.
| Lot & Description | Pre-Sale Estimate | Final Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
| Lot 14: Right-Hand Stage Glove | €100,000 – €150,000 | €113,737 |
| Lot 10: Black Sequinned Stage Jacket | €50,000 – €70,000 | €75,825 |
| Lot 24: Left-Hand Stage Glove | €30,000 – €40,000 | €36,648 |
| Lot 43: Left-Hand Stage Glove | Not Disclosed | €32,857 |
| Lot 21: Dexter Wong 'Scream' T-shirt | €20,000 – €30,000 | €24,011 |
The sale went beyond show wardrobe. The catalog offered an unvarnished cross-section of Jackson's life—from a rare black sequinned prototype jacket tied to his Pepsi campaigns to a red Dior cardigan, ink-signed drawings, stage garments engineered by costume master Bill Whitten, and a personal pillow. Preceding the auction, Aguttes staged a public exhibition from May 30 to June 2, breaking Jackson's run into three eras: the 1979–1984 breakout spanning Thriller, the 1987–1995 touring juggernaut, and the charity-focused post-1996 chapter. Biographer Richard Lecoq guided visitors through the gallery floors on opening day.
Pop music memorabilia remains a volatile, hyper-fixated market, but Jackson's wardrobe continues to trade like blue-chip stock.