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Fifty objects once owned by Michael Jackson will be offered at auction in Paris on June 3, 2026, in what Aguttes describes as the first major European sale of its kind.
The auction, to be held in Neuilly-sur-Seine, is expected to bring in between €500,000 and €1 million. The sale will feature stage costumes, personal items, drawings, autographs and objects linked to different phases of Jackson’s career.
The leading lot is a right-hand stage glove made from cotton and Swarovski crystals by costume designers Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush. According to Aguttes, the glove is attributed by Jackson’s former bodyguard David Pencer to rehearsals for “Billie Jean” before the July 14, 1988, Wembley Stadium concert in London, and is believed to have been worn on stage during the Bad World Tour around the same period.
The glove is estimated at €100,000 to €150,000, making it the most valuable item in the sale.
Aguttes has arranged the collection in three sections, following Jackson’s career from his early solo years to his later personal world.
The first section covers 1979 to 1984, including objects from the rise of his solo career and the “Thriller” period. Highlights include a hat worn during the 1984 Victory Tour and a black sequined stage jacket attributed to Bill Whitten.
The second section focuses on the years between 1987 and 1995, covering the “Bad” and “Dangerous” eras. Items include Bad Tour trousers, prototype gloves designed for Motown’s 25th anniversary, and a T-shirt worn by Jackson with Janet Jackson in the “Scream” video, estimated at €20,000 to €30,000.
The final section covers 1996 to 2003 and includes more personal objects, among them a pillow, a bejewelled minaudiere made for Jackson by Katherine Bauman, autographs and three original drawings. A minaudiere is a small decorative evening bag or case, often used as a luxury accessory.
The objects originally belonged to Richard Fossaas, a Norwegian collector who gathered Michael Jackson memorabilia with the aim of creating a museum dedicated to the artist. A major part of the collection later passed to a private collector in New York, who has now entrusted the items to Aguttes.
Arthur Perault, head of Aguttes’ Pop Culture and Memorabilia Department, said the auction was intended to offer more than a standard sale.
“More than a sale, this event offers a physical encounter with genius. We are not selling objects. We are offering the key to a myth. It is the rare moment when the legend becomes tangible,” Perault said.
Before the auction, Aguttes will open the collection to the public with a free exhibition from May 30 to June 2, 2026, at its rooms on Avenue Charles-de-Gaulle in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
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