A single glittery sock that late pop superstar Michael Jackson wore during a concert in France in the 1990s sold for more than $8,000 on Wednesday, a French auctioneer said.
A technician found the used sock discarded near Jackson’s dressing room after the concert in the southern city of Nimes in July 1997, auctioneer Aurore Illy told AFP.
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The self-styled “King of Pop” wore white athletic socks adorned with rhinestones during his “HIStory World Tour” in 1997, according to specialist website interencheres.com.
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Jackson can be seen wearing them in clips of him performing his hit “Billie Jean”.
Decades later, the off-white item of clothing is covered in stains, and the rhinestones adorning it have yellowed with age, in a picture posted on the website.
“It really is an exceptional object — even a cult one for Michael Jackson fans,” Illy said.
The sock, initially valued at €3,000 to €4,000 ($3,400 to $4,500), sold for €7,688 ($8,822) at the Nimes auction house.
A Macau gaming resort in 2009 paid $350,000 for a glittery glove Jackson wore when he performed his first “moonwalk” dance in 1983.
A hat he wore just before that performance sold for more than $80,000 in Paris in 2023.
Jackson died of a fatal overdose in 2009, aged 50.
He still has a huge fan base, despite child molestation accusations against him during his lifetime and after his death, which he and his estate have denied.