Michael Jackson's dirty sock reportedly sold for over $8,000

Late pop icon Michael Jackson wore rhinestone-covered white socks during his HIStory World Tour’s performance in Nîmes, France in 1997. One of the close to 30-year-old socks was recently sold in auction for $8,822, or €7,688, notes France 24.

Jackson’s sock was found by a concert technician near the Billie Jean singer’s dressing room after the performance back in 1997, who then framed it alongside his pass, as per Dexerto. At the time of the auction, however, the sock had aged, yellowed and frayed with time.

According to the The Toronto Sun, auctioneer Aurore Illy spoke to AFP and said that the sock was initially priced at US $3,400 to $4,500, or €3,000 to €4,000 by the Nîmes auction house. The publication noted that Illy said,

“It really is an exceptional object — even a cult one for Michael Jackson fans.”

 

 

 

 

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Notable Michael Jackson memorabilia which has been auctioned

Last year, black and gold military jacket worn by the pop star, from the private collection of rapper Omer Bhatti, was put up for auction at the Propstore, as per The Independent. The publication noted that the item was estimated to be worth between a whopping £200,000 to £400,000. At the same auction, handwritten lyrics from Jackson’s hit single Beat It were put up for sale, with their expected price between £40,000 and £80,000, according to The Independent.

Back in 2012, items worn by the ‘King of Pop’ were auctioned for $5 million by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, according to Forbes. A jacket which the Smooth Criminal singer wore during his Bad tour sold for $240,000, and two of his sparkly gloves went for $192,000 and $115,200, noted the publication. Two other jackets worn by Jackson fetched six-figure prices at the auction, as per Forbes.

During his 1997 HIStory World Tour, Michael Jackson was accompanied by giant statues of his likeness

Michael Jackson’s HIStory Tour is memorable for the innovative marketing campaign associated with it. As per BBC, the marketing campaign was conceived by Richard Ogden, who was Sony Music Entertainment’s senior vice president in Europe.

According to the report by BBC, as a part of the marketing campaign, 10 huge fiberglass statues of Jackson were commissioned. The fiberglass statues were modeled on a clay sculpture of the pop star which adorned the cover of Jackson’s double album, titled HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.

 

 

 

 

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BBC notes that the fiberglass statues were built over a over period of four months. While the magnificent statues provided a unique edge and feel to Jackson’s world tour, the statues were installed in various parts of the world after the tour. The report by BBC mentions that the 32 feet statues became an important site for the legendary musician’s fans.

The legacy surrounding the musical maestro took a beating after new allegations of child s*x abuse surfaced following the release of the HBO Documentary Finding Neverland. As per BBC, the serious new allegations against Jackson became inevitably related to the fate of Jackson’s iconic statues.

The BBC report makes reference to one of the iconic fiberglass statues. In the village of Best in Netherlands, a important veneration site for Jackson’s fans evolved around the music maestro’s statue installed in the car park of a McDonald’s outlet. The management of the outlet took a decision to remove the statue following the new allegations.