JuliensAuctions

The publicity may have slowed down, but Michael Jackson fans are still coming out in force. Several lots soundly beat presale estimates at an auction conducted by Julien's Auctions. The staples of Michael Jackson's image -- such as the famous white glove and the jacket from the "Bad" tour -- went under the gavel. A presale estimate for the entire auction of $80,000 to $100,000 quickly became irrelevant, as bidders sent prices into the stratosphere.

The white glove opened at $10,000 but went immediately to $120,000 before settling at the final price of $350,000 (not including fees and commissions). After all fees and taxes, Hong Kong businessman Hoffman Ma spent around $420,000 for the piece of Americana that Darren Julien, the auction house's CEO, describes as "the Holy Grail of Michael Jackson." It was expected to sell for $50,000.

The black jacket, with all the straps and zippers, that Jackson wore during his 1989 "Bad" tour, also made presale estimates pointless. It closed at $225,000 (before any fees or taxes), more than 20 times the expectation.

At the auction, held at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square, most of the 80 lots pertained to Michael Jackson, generally provided by friends and family who had received them as gifts. Other lots included a car driven by Jackson, a guitar once owned by David Bowie and memorabilia from the Beatles.

Darren Julien may have lost the Michael Jackson auction but he's got plenty of other celebrity items up his sleeve. The Julien's Auctions Summer Entertainment Sale is an annual memorabilia event that usually always features a few items from blue-chip celebs like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley as well as a treasure trove of ephemera for old movie buffs. The sale will be held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on June 26th and 27th, 2009.

The Marilyn Monroe items include clothing from her personal and professional wardrobe and furniture from her Brentwood, California home. Marilyn's dining room table is estimated at $10,000 to $12,000 and other pieces including a coffee table and a tapestry are priced for less.

On the Elvis tip you can rather ghoulishly acquire prescription bottles made out to Elvis as well as many other personal items. But maybe the creepiest item of all is the Frank Sinatra oil painting of a clown. Old Blue Eyes painted this 22 by 24-inch painting which he gave as a gift to producer Guy Della-Cioppa. Apparently Sinatra began painting clowns before painting more abstract pieces. If you want it haunting you from your wall you'll have to bid in the $10,000 to $20,000 range.

[via NY Daily News]

Last month, Michael Jackson began his campaign to cancel a huge auction of his personal belongings. Now, a week before the auction, the King of Pop has gotten his way. Auctioneer Darren Julien told Reuters that he has reached an agreement with Jackson that will see the items returned to Jackson after the public exhibit of the 1,400 lots is over. The auction was to be held on April 22-25 and included Jackson's customized Rolls-Royce, costumes, memorabilia, art and custom furnishings. It could have brought in $10 million or more.

It would have been the largest authorized auction of Jackson's belongings and Julien's Auction House spared no expense in putting the auction together. The Reuters article says that Darren Julien spent as much $2 million preparing the sale and the exhibit, even creating a signed and numbered five-volume catalog that would sell for $500. This isn't the first time that Jackson has quashed an auction of his good but it is surprising considering that he originally participated in putting the sale together and even decided to allocate some of the funds to the Music Cares charity. Perhaps now that he is planning to perform again his finances are looking a bit brighter. Jackson is believed to have paid some money in a settlement with the auction house that may result in some of the items finding a permanent public home in some sort of museum-like space.

The contents of Neverland Ranch are finally heading to the auction block this April. Julien's Auctions will be auctioning off more than 2,000 of Michael Jackson's possessions April 22-25 in an eight-part mega-auction in Beverly Hills. Jackson decamped from Neverland a while ago and it has quietly been renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch. This is the first sale of his property that Michael Jackson has sanctioned. The Guardian reports that when Darren Julien and his team of auctioneers went in to assess the ranch's goods they were astounded by both the number and style of the objects they discovered. Many items are made of bronze or marble with elaborate gilding. PIeces include suits of armor, a throne, a cape, a portrait of Michael Jackson in Elizabethan dress, rhinestone gloves and socks, costumes, awards, even his Rolls Royce limo is up for sale for an estimated $140,000 - $160,000.

The Guardian has a photo gallery which shows some of the pieces for sale. Jackson has to be one of the wealthiest and most ego-driven packrats in the world. His childlike acquisitiveness manifests in his collection of video game machines, Disney art and Peter Pan memorabilia and much of it bears his image in his prime. It's an astonishing display of wealth without restraint. There's something in nearly every price point, from small rhinestone brooches to elaborate pieces of art and statuary. Given the sheer amount of objects up for grabs Jackson could stand to make quite a tidy haul. Even the signed and numbered five-volume catalog sells for $500.

Julien's Auctions will host a seven-day exhibition at 9900 Wilshire adjacent to The Beverly Hilton open to the public April 14th to April 20th. A portion of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares®, a charity of The Recording Academy®. Auction Network will also broadcast the auction live on national television and stream video of the auction online and people all around the world can bid in real time on the items up for sale.