1. Michael Jackson has lots of stuff. More than 2,000 items that once occupied his 2,800-acre Neverland Ranch are being auctioned off on April 22-25 in Beverly Hills. The trove includes many items of clothing, including these gold lamé trousers. You can bid online at AuctionNetwork.com.
2. Jackson hasn't touched this stuff since 2005, when he left Neverland for good after being acquitted of child-molestation charges.
3. The $1.5 million to $3 million that Julien’s Auctions hopes to raise from this auction will be split between MusiCares, a charity, and Jackson himself (with a commission going to the auction house).
4. Julien’s Auctions earned its cut. Late last year, it took 30 moving men more than two months to pack, haul, and move Jackson’s stuff onto 10 semi-trailers.
5. Jackson’s stuff was heavy. "Unfortunately for us, Michael liked marble, stone, and iron—most of it wasn’t easy to transport," said Darren Julien, who will preside over the sale of clothing, jewelry, knickknacks, and Cadillacs.
6. There are no minimum bids on Jackson’s stuff. While Julien’s has provided a low and high estimate of each item’s value as a bidding guideline, you can offer whatever you want.
7. Jackson wears tube socks. Or at least he did 28 years ago. See Item No. 7576, a pair that date to The Jacksons' 1981 Triumph Tour. (Suggested bidding guideline: $600 to $800).
8. Except for a few items that Jackson kept, all the stuff at Neverland—even the front gates to the ranch (left and above, suggested bid: $20,000 to $30,000)—must go. "With somebody like him there is no such thing as a reject pile," Julien said. "There's nothing cheap about Michael Jackson."
9. Jackson's stuff fills a five-volume glossy color catalog (available in a box-set for $100).
10. You can also look at all Jackson's stuff online at JuliensAuctions.com.
11. As a kid, Macaulay Culkin made stuff with Jackson. See Item No. 7678: A pair of canvasses with original works of art by the actor and Jackson, which each signed in black Sharpie. (Bidding guideline: $200 to $300.)
12. This is the first sale that Jackson has sanctioned of his stuff. In 2007, he hired lawyers to try, unsuccessfully, to stop an auction of Jackson family stuff that had been acquired by New Jersey businessman Henry Vaccaro.
13. But, as they say, stuff happens. The cash-strapped singer has piled up more than $24 million in debt. Last November, he finalized a deal to bring the private equity firm Colony Capital LLC on as a joint owner of Neverland, which has been renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch.
14. Plus, the stuff takes up space. Lots of space. "People ask, 'Why is he doing this?" says Julien. "Well, where would you put all this stuff? It's not feasible to put it in storage."
15. Jackson, 50, has never wanted to grow up. See Item No. 5329: painted fiberglass figure of Peter Pan, in three pieces, wrestling with his own shadow. (Suggested bid: $200 to $300.)
16. Jackson's stuff includes a huge collection of children's furniture. Too many items to list.
17. Despite its vast size, the ranch must have felt crowded at times due to Jackson's fondness for lifesize mannequins. See Items No. 5081 (Spider-Man), No. 5140 (Bruce Lee), No. 5475 (Superman), No. 5490 (Boba Fett), No. 5492 (Batman), No. 5577 (Darth Vader, made of Legos), No. 5937 (Elvis), No. 7752 (Egyptianized Pharaoh-like figure of Michael Jackson), and at least eight others—including a lifesize version of Jackson himself in a rubber Batman suit.
18. Darth Vader will cost you. The bidding guideline for the lifesize figure is $6,000 to $8,000. But what a value! "When turned on," the catalog says, "the figure breathes heavily in between reciting eight different lines of dialogue from the film, including 'I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last,' 'You have failed me for the last time,' 'He will join us or die, master,' and others. The replica light saber also illuminates in red."
19. Wealth doesn't guarantee taste. See Item No. 5831: A molded resin three-dimensional wall sign of Charlie Chaplin holding a directional "Toilets" sign. Suggested bid: $40 to $60.
20. Jackson likes synthetic stuff. He has eight crystal right-hand gloves on sale, all of them made of spandex.
21. Some awards are forever. Jackson has won 13 Grammy Awards. None of them are up for auction.
22. Some awards aren't. See Items No. 7717 (People's Choice Award), No. 7723 (NAACP Award), No. 7728 (MTV Award, left); No. 7733 (American Music Award), No. 7741 (Motown Award), No. 7743 (Billboard Award), and No. 7746 (Emmy Nomination Plaque).
23. Famous people like autographs. See Item No. 5102 (1966 Rose Bowl program signed by Walt Disney: $800 to $1,200), No. 5670 (autographed photo of Roddy McDowall: $100 to $150), No. 7643 (Michael Jordan-inscribed basketball: $800 to $1,200), No. 7673 (typed letter to Tom Jones signed by Walt Disney: $800 to $1,200), and No. 7825 (signed print of Marlene Dietrich: $400 to $600).
24. Jackson and Queen Elizabeth have much in common. See Item No. 7781 (ceremonial scepter), No. 7783 (full-length red velvet cape embroidered on the inside with the words: "To our father, King Michael, Father's Day, June 31, 1998, from your loving children, Prince Michael, Princess Paris." Suggested bid: $300 to $500), No. 7794 (full display suit of armor. Suggested bid: $1,000 to $1,500), and No. 7831 ("jeweled" crown on custom red velvet cushion. Suggested bid: $1,000 to $1,500).
25. On second thought, maybe not. The British Queen would probably never name her daughter Paris.
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