“Michael gave me the glove he wore that night instead.”
That’s how Clyde Orange, the drummer of the Commodores, remembered one of the strangest gifts in music history. He had asked Michael Jackson for an autograph backstage. What he got was the glove Michael had just worn in front of millions of people.
It was the spring of 1983. Motown, the record label where Michael and his brothers got their start, was throwing a big TV party for its 25th birthday. Michael sang “Billie Jean” alone on that stage, in a black sequined jacket and a single sparkly glove. Then he glided backward across the floor like he was walking on air. Most people watching had never seen anything like it. It was the first time he did the moonwalk on TV.
Here’s the moment that made that glove famous.
Michael’s first moonwalk on TV, 1983
Here’s the funny part. The glove wasn’t some fancy custom piece. Reports at the time described it as a modified golf glove, store-bought and covered in rhinestones. It was reportedly stamped “Made in Korea.” It was also made for the left hand, while the famous gloves he wore later were for his right hand and sewn with crystals by hand.
Clyde kept it for 26 years. In 2009 he decided to share it with the world. “Just for the world to see it, that means the world to me,” he said. He gave it to a charity auction in New York, with the money going to a music charity that helps musicians in need.
The auction house expected it to bring about $50,000. The sale was held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, and the room was packed and loud. Bids came in fast. A 36-year-old fan from Hong Kong had traveled all the way to New York just for this glove.
Here’s what happened when the hammer came down.
The glove goes up for auction in New York, 2009
The hammer fell at $350,000, or $420,000 with fees, about eight times what the auction house expected. The winner seemed thrilled anyway and later called the price “a fairly good discount.” He took the glove home to a resort in Macau, where it went on display for fans.
Now the glove is back. This December, Julien’s Auctions will offer it again at a big sale at the Rosewood hotel in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. This time the auction house expects it to bring between $600,000 and $800,000. The shoes Michael wore for that same performance will be up for sale too.
The glove heads to auction again in 2026
Nobody knows yet what it will sell for in December. But it all started with a drummer asking for an autograph, and a young singer who handed over the glove right off his hand.