Just before debuting his iconic moonwalk dance, Michael Jackson casually flung his hat to the side of the stage. Now, four decades later, that very hat is set to go up for auction in Paris.
The highly anticipated auction will take place at the Hotel Drouot in Paris on September 26. The black fedora, a symbol of Jackson’s legendary performances, is anticipated to fetch a substantial sum, with estimated valuations ranging between 60,000 and 100,000 euros ($64,000-$107,000).
Organizer Arthur Perault of the Artpeges gallery acknowledged that valuations for Jackson-related items have recently experienced a decline. He attributed this decline to “the sale of fakes and the accusations against him.” Michael Jackson had long faced allegations of child abuse, allegations that persistently dogged him and which he continued to deny until his untimely death in 2009 at the age of 50.
The iconic moment when the King of Pop tossed his hat aside and launched into his hit “Billie Jean” took place during a televised Motown concert in 1983, during the zenith of his fame. It was immediately followed by his signature move—the moonwalk—a seemingly effortless glide backward while creating the illusion of walking forward.
After Jackson threw his hat, a man named Adam Kelly picked it up, assuming that the singer’s staff would come to retrieve it. However, they did not, leading Kelly to hold onto the iconic hat for several years. Subsequently, it passed through the hands of a few private collectors before reaching the auction block in Paris.
The upcoming auction also features a guitar owned by the legendary bluesman T-Bone Walker, which is expected to fetch up to 150,000 euros. Additionally, there is a suit worn by Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore and one of Madonna’s gold records.
A piece of the wall from the now-defunct Paris venue Bus Palladium, adorned with signatures from numerous rock stars, including members of The Libertines, Air, and The Dandy Warhols, carries an estimated value ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 euros. Perault expressed a personal hope that this rock artifact remains in France, stating that it is “part of our heritage for all lovers of music and rock.”
Collecting music memorabilia has evolved into a substantial industry. In the previous year, co-organizers Lemon Auction made headlines with the sale of a guitar smashed by Noel Gallagher on the night Oasis disbanded in Paris following a confrontation with his brother Liam. The instrument was sold for a staggering 385,500 euros.
This month, a series of auctions featuring items from the estate of Freddie Mercury, including the piano on which he composed “Bohemian Rhapsody,” generated a total of 46.5 million euros at Sotheby’s, drawing bidders from 76 different countries.
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