Michael Jackson‘s white crystal glove is officially back up for auction.
Auction house Goldin is currently auctioning the iconic glove famously worn by the superstar during his 1984 Victory Tour. The glove features real Swarovski crystals and was custom designed for Jackson by Bill Whitten in the early ’80s.
The minimum bid to try and own a piece of music history will set you back $20,000, but don’t expect the winning bid to fall that low.
In 2009, Hong Kong businessman Hoffman Ma purchased the historic accessory for $350,000 at a memorabilia auction. The glove last sold for just over $100,000 in 2020.
It’s believed that the significant price drop was due to the fallout of HBO’s 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, and the allegations that Jackson molested children who visited his ranch.
Jackson first debuted the glove on his left hand during his 1983 performance of “Billie Jean” on Motown’s 25th anniversary TV special.
The glove was reportedly donated to UNICEF in the ’90s, who first sold it back in 1998.
michael jackson glove for auction
Why did Michael Jackson wear a single white glove?
Though fans have long speculated that Jackson wore the glove to cover up a skin condition, John Kehe, the design director for The Jacksons’ 1981 “Can You Feel It” music video, was apparently an eyewitness to Jackson’s sartorial decision — something Kehe says was more or less random.
Kehe claims the glove became a wardrobe staple simply because the pop icon liked the way it looked.
“Rick [Ross, the chief film editor] was wearing a short white cotton glove on his left hand as he ran the film through his fingers, looking for the yellow grease-pencil marks he had made on various frames of film to be edited,” Kehe told Express.
“To have a little green box of these disposable gloves sitting on the editing bench was standard practice for film editors in those days,” he continued. “Michael, who hadn’t shown any particular enthusiasm for the tour so far, seemed suddenly transfixed by the glove and politely asked a number of questions about it, concluding with, ‘Could you spare one?'”