Piece of music history from King of Pop disappears under auction hammer

Just before Michael Jackson performed his famous moonwalk for the first time, he threw his hat to the side of the stage. A lucky fan of the King of Pop managed to catch the piece of music history. Exactly 40 years later, the hat goes under the hammer in Paris for a generous sum.  

The silk-lined wool hat was the highlight of the sale, which saw two hundred 'musical memorabilia' auctioned off by auction house Lemon Auction. Last year the auction house caused a sensation with the sale of the guitar of Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher. 

During the Motown 25 show in 1983, a certain Adam Kelly acquired the so-called Fedora hat. At the beginning of the song Billie Jean, Michael Jackson threw the hat in the air, after which it fell from the stage to the ground. This particular performance by Michael is hailed as one of the most memorable moments of his career, as it was the very first time the King of Pop performed his legendary moonwalk live on stage. The Fedora has thus become an important piece of music history.

Ultimately, Adam sold the item to an American collector. Not much later, the hat appeared in a European collection. 

The specific hat was designed by Maddest Hatter, who was tasked with creating the first Fedora for the special Motown concert. The silk lining is characteristic of early Fedoras, and is inscribed with 'Motown 25' and 'Michael Jackson'. However, during the 'Smooth Criminal' period the silk lining was replaced with wool because it was too hot for Michael.

The proceeds of the hat were estimated in advance at an amount between €60.000 and €100.000. Ultimately, the auctioneer hammered down the price to €77.640 inclusive.