Michael Jackson's dirty sock sells at auction
The crystal-encrusted sock was found by a technician after the self-styled King of Pop performed in the southern city of Nimes.
It was carefully preserved for 28 years in a frame and went up for sale on Wednesday in the same city, Aurore Illy, the auctioneer, said.
'A cult object for fans'
Jackson wore white athletic socks during his 1997 HIStory World Tour, and can be seen wearing them in clips of him performing his hit 'Billie Jean'.
Decades later, the sock is no longer white, and the rhinestones adorning it have yellowed with age.
'It really is an exceptional object – even a cult one for Michael Jackson fans,' Ms Illy said.
The sock, expected to fetch €3,000-4,000 (£2,500-£3,500), sold for €7,688 (£6,640) at the Nimes auction house.
Jackson's clothing, particularly items worn during iconic performances and in music videos, has sold for vast sums following the singer's death in 2009.
The star, who during his lifetime faced allegations of child molestation – died of an overdose aged 50 as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts in London.
A Chinese gaming resort paid £260,000 in 2009 for a glittery glove he wore when he performed his first 'moonwalk' dance in 1983.
A hat he wore just before that performance sold for more than £60,000 in Paris in 2023.
The same year, a black and white leather jacket he wore in a 1980s Pepsi advert sold for £250,000.
In 2011, the contents of the house he lived in with his three children before his death sold for around £750,000 at auction. The sale included items such as the rug beneath his death bed, which sold for more than $15,000.
Jackson still maintains a huge fan base, despite a 2019 documentary exposing further child sexual abuse allegations that sparked a new debate over the legacy of one of the world's most celebrated musicians.
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