The renowned leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson in the 1980s, featured in a Pepsi commercial, has been acquired for £250,000 ($306,000). Initially anticipated to fetch between £200,000 and £400,000 at the auction in London on Friday, the black-and-white garment was one of over 200 pieces of music memorabilia auctioned, alongside items associated with George Michael, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, Oasis, and The Beatles.
Michael Jackson sported this particular jacket in 1984 during the first of several Pepsi commercials he participated in. These ads are notably remembered for an unfortunate incident where Jackson’s hair caught fire during filming, resulting in serious burns; it’s worth noting that he was wearing a different jacket at that moment.
A jacket worn by Wham! star George Michael during a duet with Aretha Franklin in “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” also went under the hammer. The La Rocka jacket surpassed expectations, selling for £93,750 ($115,000), well above the estimated range of £30,000 to £60,000.
Another noteworthy item was Amy Winehouse’s beehive hairpiece from the 2007 music video “You Know I’m No Good,” part of her final album “Back To Black.” The hairpiece exceeded the lower end of its estimated value, selling for £18,750 ($22,900).
The auction featured diverse memorabilia, including items associated with Elvis Presley, Queen, and Johnny Marr. However, certain items, such as a Gibson guitar owned by AC/DC’s Angus Young and a limited edition Yellow Submarine Beatles jukebox, remained unsold.
Mark Hochman, the director of music and posters at Propstore, emphasized that this auction marked the first time many of these items were made available to the public. Notably, Michael Jackson’s memorabilia has previously commanded high prices, with items like the black fedora hat worn just before his iconic moonwalk dance in 1983 selling for thousands.
