Relics of stars that have gone up for auction

Just like the piano on which Freddy Mercury composed “Bohemian Rhapsody” or the hat Michael Jackson wore to his premiere of the moon walk which will be auctioned this month, these are other relics of celebrities that have enlivened the auctions.

Marilyn Monroe’s dress

A buyer paid US$ 4.8 million in November 2016 to acquire the mythical dress that Marilyn Monroe used to sing lewdly “Happy Birthday Mr President” to President John F. Kennedy on the occasion of his 45th birthday, and which was auctioned by Julien’s Auctions.

The dress fitted Marilyn’s form so well that it was sewn onto the legendary actress and singer shortly before she took the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 19, 1962. Many of Marilyn’s dresses went up for auction.

Kurt Cobain’s guitar

The guitar with which Kurt Cobain recorded the famous concert “Unplugged” by Nirvana in 1993 was sold in June 2020 for US$6 million at auction, also from Julien’s. This is a record for a guitar.

Until then, the most expensive guitar was a Fender Stratocaster, baptized “Black Strat”, Used by the guitarist of the British group Pink Floyd, David Gilmour. It was sold by the musician for US$3.97 million at an auction organized in June 2019 by Christie’s to benefit charitable works.

Jordan and Maradona jerseys

In September 2022, Sotheby’s sold the number 23 jersey that basketball player Michael Jordan wore during his last NBA title, in 1998, for $10.1 million. It is the absolute record for a sporting item.

Other jerseys achieved high prices, such as that of the soccer player Diego Maradona sold for 9.3 million dollars in May 2022 or that of the basketball player Kobe Bryant sold for 5.8 million in February 2023, that is, three years after his death in the 41 years in a helicopter accident. Both were auctioned at Sotheby’s.

Another sports relic is the ball with which Diego Maradona scored his legendary goal with the help of “the hand of God” in the 1986 World Cup, which sold for $2.5 million at Graham Budd Auctions in November 2022.

The manuscript of “Like a Rolling Stone”

The original manuscript of Bob Dylan’s most famous song, “Like a Rolling Stone”was awarded for 2 million dollars in June 2014 at Sotheby’s, a record for an object of this type.

More recently, the manuscript of “Starman”David Bowie’s 1972 hit, sold in September 2022 for about $255,000 at Omega Auctions.

Michael Jackson’s glove

A beige leather glove embellished with strass crystals, worn by Michael Jackson in 1983 when he first performed his famous “moon walk”, it was sold for US$350,000 in New York in November 2009, at an auction of objects belonging to the pop star who died the same year at the age of 50 from an overdose of medication.

Source: AFP