Rest in peace to the icon Michael Jackson.
The original pair of Florsheim Imperial leather shoes that MJ wore when he first debuted the moonwalk is up for auction. According to CNN, Jackson wore the shoes while rehearsing for his performance of “Billie Jean” for the Motown 25 television special in 1983. GWS Auctions claims that it is the first time Jackson performed the moonwalk on stage. In an email to CNN, Brigitte Kruse, owner of GWS Auctions, stated, “Anything related to Michael Jackson is extraordinary, and to have something so incredibly historical as these shoes worn by Michael when he first did that now famous moonwalk is beyond special. We are so very honored to be able to offer them at auction.”
Kruse stated that the auction site has a “very conservative estimate” on the shoes, which started at $10,000. Currently (April 23), the shoes have 11 bids and have reached $50,000 on GWS’ website. The site claims that MJ referred to the loafers as “magical shoes.” The description of the shoes also states, “The loafers are marked ‘Motown 25’ and signed ‘Michael Jackson’ on the soles in blue marker, and one of the shoes is also numbered ‘Michael #2.'” Choreographer Lester Wilson was given the shoes by the King of Pop himself after the rehearsal.
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