Michael Jackson’s Glove Fetches $1,000 at Auction

A silver-sequined glove belonging to singer Michael Jackson was sold for $1,000 Saturday at an auction in Oxnard.

Thomas Boe, 53, who maintains residences in Ventura and South Dakota, beat out four other bidders for the glove, said Robert Foster, who runs MC Auctions. Boe did not buy any other Jackson paraphernalia, but spent several thousand dollars on other collectibles, Foster said.

“My father has been a collector of all kinds for years,” said Boe’s son, Robert. “I don’t think he’s a Jackson fan . . . but usually he knows what’s collectible.”

Foster discovered the glove a few months ago when he opened the top of a piano that had been left in a large storage locker in the San Fernando Valley. He auctions the contents of public storage lockers at 10 different storage facilities in Southern California when the rent has not been paid for several months. Foster did not know who had rented the locker.

“One of the keys wouldn’t play, so we opened it up, and it was on top of the keys,” Foster said. The glove is made of mesh material and hand-stitched with silver sequins.

Jackson confirmed that it was his glove when he visited Foster’s Oxnard warehouse Friday night to look for any personal papers, Foster said.

“He said it was one of his early gloves and that it wasn’t of any significance,” he added.

The 33-year-old star was accompanied by two bodyguards and stayed to sing “Man in the Mirror” for some children in the warehouse, Foster said. “The bodyguards were wearing pistols, so I wasn’t going to ask for any ID, but I asked him, ‘Are you really Michael Jackson? Then sing something.’ ”

Jackson didn’t show up for the auction Saturday, which was held at the warehouse at 4155 S. Bank Road and drew about 300 bidders. “It was chaos,” Foster said.

Other items on the auction block included various instruments and instrument storage cases that had belonged to the Jackson family. Foster himself bought an $18,000 electric piano for $500.