MUMBAI: A casino in Macau will house Asia‘s first Michael Jackson shrine after its owners bought the late King of Pop‘s iconic white glove for $350,000 at a US auction ceremony.
Made of cream leather and studded with hand-sewn rhinestones, the left-handed glove is considered an iconic accessory by Jackson fans.
The shrine will be located in the lobby of the casino-resort Ponte 16 and will add to Macau‘s attractions that already houses the world‘s largest casino, The Venetian.
Said Hoffman Ma of Success Universe Group that has teamed up with Macau gaming tycoon, Stanley Ho in the Ponte 16 venture "MJ‘s distinctive musical sound, vocal style and choreography inspired numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip hop artistes. We aim to create a rendezvous to reminisce this great performer of the 20th century."
During Saturday‘s auction of Jackson memorabilia in New York, Ma‘s firm paid the astronomical sum for the glove that was almost eight times the pre-sale estimate amid stiff bidding.
Ponte 16 also picked up nine other items that were owned by Jackson including a signed drawing of Charlie Chaplin, a pair of acrylic tube socks, Jackson‘s "zombie" shirt that he wore in the video of Thriller and a platinum record awarded for the album Bad.
The white glove, that auctioneers Julien‘s Auctions, called "the Holy Grail of Michael Jackson," was worn by Jacko when he first staged the famous moonwalk dance at the 1983 Motown 25 television special.