Michael Jackson to auction 2000 items of memorabilia

Some of Michael Jackson's most precious personal possessions are to go under the hammer despite the pop legend's bid to halt the sale. Julien's Auctions was hired by Jackson to sell off the contents of his Neverland Ranch but Jackson filed a lawsuit in early March, claiming that he had never given permission for the sale of many "priceless and irreplaceable" items. The auction house claimed Jackson's representatives had been "enthusiastically" involved with the sale until the sudden about turn several weeks ago. Some of the glitziest items will be on display to the public at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, New York, this week, including one of Jackson's signature black fedoras, two of his MTV Video Music Awards, costumes he wore on tour in the 1980s and several crystal-encrusted gloves. President of Julien's Auctions, Darren Julien, said in a sworn statement filed with a Los Angeles court that the singer's representatives even tried to intimidate him into postponing the sale. It is estimated the sale could bring in $10 million to $20 million (£6.8m to £13.7m) for the pop singer who has reportedly been experiencing financial problems for several years. Jackson is due to perform 50 concerts at the O2 Arena in London later this year.

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ITN | March 25, 2009

Tags:. .glitziest. .fedoras. .neverland. .irreplaceable. .memorabilia