Michael Jackson's White Glove Sold for £85,000 at Auction

The glove worn by Jackson during the 1983 ‘Motown 25’ TV special ( Getty Images )
The glove worn by Jackson during the 1983 ‘Motown 25’ TV special ( Getty Images )
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Michael Jackson's White Glove Sold for £85,000 at Auction

The glove worn by Jackson during the 1983 ‘Motown 25’ TV special ( Getty Images )
The glove worn by Jackson during the 1983 ‘Motown 25’ TV special ( Getty Images )

Michael Jackson's iconic crystal-studded white glove has sold for more than £85,000 at an auction in Texas. According to The Sun, the anonymous buyer received a letter confirming it was donated to Unicef in 1998, alongside an envelope from the MJJ production company founded by Jackson. Jackson is thought to have said of his experience wearing the glove on his Bad Tour: "I felt one glove was cool. Wearing two seemed so ordinary."

The first leather glove worn by Jackson in 1983 during his famous moonwalk dance was sold for $350,000 in 2009, at a New York auction that was selling many of the late American star's memorabilia. The price fetched by the glove, which was sold alongside about 70 of Michael Jackson's possessions, was nine times the number projected by the curators. A coat Jackson wore during his Bad Tour concerts in 1989 was also sold for $225,000, along with a hat for $22,000.

The New York auction gathered thousands of the late pop star's fans. Auctions curator Darren Julien said the glove worn by Jackson during the moonwalk dance was among the most valuable and symbolic items, yet he didn't expect it to fetch such price.

The singer's iconic glove is not the only musician's belonging to have fetched thousands at auction in recent years. In 2019, John Lennon's legendary round sunglasses sold for £137,000 at Sotheby's auction, while sketches of Paul McCartney's piano designs were recently sold for £2,000.

Micheal Jackson died of a heart attack in his house in Los Angeles, California, on June 25, 2009.



No, Spain Isn't Banning Tourists. Here’s What to Know.

People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)
People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)
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No, Spain Isn't Banning Tourists. Here’s What to Know.

People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)
People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)

Spain attracted a record 94 million tourists last year, making the Southern European nation famous for its Mediterranean coastline, sweeping landscapes and historic cities among the most visited countries on earth.

The surge in visitors has stoked complaints at times from some Spaniards about “overtourism, ” with concerns about overcrowding, water use and particularly the availability and affordability of housing, The AP reported.

Spain's government has started listening to demands for more regulation, particularly around housing in Spain's big cities, where rising home and rental prices have become a key concern for voters. Earlier this month, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez introduced a 12-part plan to tackle the housing crisis, with measures aimed at bringing stricter regulations to short-term rentals that mainly cater to tourists.

But that doesn't mean Spain is putting the brakes on tourism, an industry that accounts for about 12% of its GDP.

Here's what you should know before planning a visit:

Is Spain restricting tourists? No, but some cities have started to regulate tourism rental properties.

Malaga, an Andalusian port city on the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain, will prohibit new rental properties in 43 neighborhoods of the city where those rentals exceed 8% of the residential stock. The policy went into effect earlier this month and will be tested for three years.

Meanwhile, Barcelona plans to close down all of its 10,000 apartments licensed as short-term rentals in the coming years to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents. The Mediterranean city known for its beaches, art and surrealist architecture announced last year that it would not renew any new tourism apartment licenses after they expire in 2028.

Can tourists still book hotels and other accommodation? Yes. Tourists can book hotel stays and short-term apartment-style rentals just about anywhere in Spain.

What's prompting Spain to take these measures? Spain is in the throes of a growing housing affordability problem. Skyrocketing rents are particularly acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where incomes have failed to keep up, especially for young people. Housing prices are also steadily rising, especially in cities and coastal areas.

Short-term contracts mainly offered for tourists are seen as driving up rental costs for locals, too.

What else should visitors know before booking travel? Visitors renting a car in Spain or booking hotel stays will also have to file more paperwork thanks to a new law that requires hotel owners and car rental companies to send personal information to the government for national security reasons.

Passport details, home addresses and payment information used by travelers above 14 are among the details that will be collected.