Paris, France — The black fedora worn by pop superstar Michael Jackson just before he dazzled the world with his moonwalk dance for the first time will be up for grabs in September during a Paris auction of music memorabilia.
The King of Pop whipped off the hat while breaking into his hit “Billie Jean” during a televised Motown concert in 1983.
A few minutes later Jackson, at the height of his fame, showed off what would become his trademark move — a seemingly effortless glide backwards while appearing to move forward.
The hat, with an estimated value of 60,000 to 100,000 euros ($65,000-$110,000), will be the star attraction at an auction of rock-and-roll items by Drouot on September 26.
Other items include a guitar owned by the legendary bluesman T-Bone Walker that could fetch up to 150,000 euros; a suit worn by Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore; and one of Madonna’s gold records.
The sale is being organized by Artpeges and Lemon Auction, which last year made a splash with the 385,500-euros sale of the infamous guitar that broke up Oasis, the British band formed by the brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher.
A full list of the roughly 200 items will be published online by Hotel Drouot on July 4.