Bargin?
A pair of Michael Jackson’s sparkly socks are going under the hammer at auction, with experts anticipating that the lot will fetch up to $1 million, or £776,000.
The crystal-encrusted sparkly socks are being auctioned together with a signed letter from the late singer.
The socks were worn by the star the first time he performed his famous moonwalk dance during a performance of ‘Billie Jean’ in 1983. Jackson performed on 25 March, 1983 while recording the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.
As reported on GottaHaveRockandRoll.com, which is organising the sale, the socks are expected to fetch between $1-2m when the auction begins on November 13. They are described as being “in very good, stage worn condition” and come with a full “certificate of authenticity.”
You can see a picture of the socks below.
Michael Jackson’s Motown 25 socks that were displayed in Frank Dileo’s Office are going up for auction :0#mjfam #mjjfam #michaeljackson #kingofpop #thekingofpop #moonwalkers #MJInnocent #mjjinnocent #michaeljacksonseason #motown25 #michaeljacksonrare pic.twitter.com/cEWqf66tV3
— Izzy James (@IsaiahRandall84) November 3, 2019
The listing for the item reads: “Michael Jackson wore these Bill Whitten custom crystal socks when he performed his ‘Moonwalk’ on stage for the first time ever for his iconic song ‘Billie Jean’ at the historic Motown Special concert, ‘Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever’ which was taped before a live studio audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California on March 25, 1983 and broadcast on NBC TV on May 16, 1983.”
“Michael gifted the socks to his manager Frank DiLeo during the 1984 Victory Tour and wrote and signed a letter to Frank to accompany them…Comes with a letter from Frank DiLeo’s wife Linda DiLeo attesting that Michael wore the socks when he did his moonwalk at the Motown Special and then subsequently gave them to her husband during the Victory Tour, as well as an email from Jimmy Darren confirming their authenticity.”
Last week (November 1), it was confirmed that Jackson has been named the highest-earning dead celebrity in 2019 for the seventh year in a row. The late pop star – who died in 2009 aged 50 – topped Forbes’ 2019 list after his estate made over £46 million in the last 12 months.
The news comes despite the controversy that followed the release of Leaving Neverland earlier this year. The Dan Reed-directed documentary, which divided viewers upon its UK airing, focuses on testimony by Wade Robson, 36, and James Safechuck, 41, who both claim that Jackson sexually abused them when they were children.
According to Forbes, Jackson’s streaming numbers “surged” despite the scandal, to “2.1 billion US spins, up from 1.8 billion a year ago.”
