According to a French auctioneer, a single sparkly sock worn by the late music sensation Michael Jackson at a 1990s French concert brought in almost $8,000 on Wednesday.
Auctioneer Aurore Illy told AFP that a technician discovered the soiled sock thrown away next to Jackson’s dressing area during the July 1997 performance in the southern city of Nimes. According to the specialized website interencheres.com, the self-described “King of Pop” donned white sports socks embellished with rhinestones during his 1997 HIStory World Tour.
Videos of Jackson singing his popular song Billie Jean show him wearing them. In one image uploaded to the internet, decades later, the off-white garment is smeared with stains and the rhinestones that decorate it have turned yellow with time.
Illy remarked, “It is truly a unique item; even a cult item for Michael Jackson devotees.” The Nimes auction house sold the sock for 7,688 euros ($8,822), while its original worth was between 3,000 and 4,000 euros ($3,400–4,500).
A glittering glove that Jackson wore during his debut “moonwalk” dance in 1983 was purchased for $350,000 by a Macau gaming resort in 2009. In 2023, a hat he wore before to his performance sold for almost $80,000 in Paris.
Jackson passed away in 2009 at the age of 50 from a lethal overdose. Despite being accused of child abuse both during his lifetime and after his passing, which he and his estate have denied, he still maintains a sizable following.
