Furniture made infamous by crime scene photos shown in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor go on the auction block in Beverly Hills Saturday.
The table where Jackson's sedatives sat and the rug on which paramedics tried to revive him are among more than 500 pieces of fine art and home furnishings that filled Jackson's rented mansion, the house where he died on June 25, 2009.
Julien's Auctions has been careful not to call it a Michael Jackson auction out of legal and public relations concerns, instead marketing it as by the mansion's now-famous address -- 100 North Carolwood Drive.
Jackson did not own the beds, chairs, clocks, paintings, dishes and other items, but their value may skyrocket because of the personal touch added by the pop icon and his children in the months before he died.
Without the connection to Jackson, the property might bring $400,000, Nolan said. But with it "the sky's the limit," Julien's Executive Director Martin Nolan said.
Conrad Murray learns his fate
A chalkboard left behind in Jackson's kitchen may have cost a few hundred dollars, but what his children wrote on it makes it a very valuable object, Nolan said. The note, handwritten on the black board attached to a 26-inch-tall ceramic rooster, reads "love Daddy/ I (heart) Daddy/ Smile it's for free."
It sat in the kitchen where, according to testimony in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson would eat lunch each day with Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson. It was not known which child wrote the chalk note, but Nolan said his research suggested it was from Paris, who was 11 when her father died.
Another striking piece is Victorian revival style armoire from the Jackson's master bedroom. On the mirror, presumably where Jackson looked each day as he dressed, is a handwritten message of inspiration: "Train, perfection March April Full out May."
The wax-pencil note is significant, considering that Jackson was battling the calendar as he prepared for his "This Is It" concerts set to premiere in London in July 2009.
Dr. Conrad Murray's defense lawyers argued during the trial that the intense pressure on Jackson to rehearse for the 50 shows put him in a desperate fight for sleep, which led to Dr. Murray administering the surgical anesthetic propofol nearly every night in the last two months of his life.
Julien's Auctions backed away from selling the bed in which Jackson received the fatal dose of the propofol after a personal request from his mother, Katherine Jackson, Julien's Executive Director Martin Nolan said.
The auction house's recreation of the bedroom where Jackson died -- euphemistically called "the medicine room" by the company -- features a bed-sized memorial covered with love notes from Jackson fans instead of the death bed.
The nightstand seen next to the death bed in coroner's photos, bearing numerous bottles of sedatives and other drugs, is for sale. the "French occasional table" is listed for between $300 and $500.
The room-size oriental rug that covered the floor where Jackson was placed when paramedics tried to revive him is listed in the auction catalogue for between $400 and $600.
The couch and chairs where Jackson likely sat with show producers worried about his health in the days before his death are for sale.
One chair in Jackson's bedroom has a stain which Nolan suggested was make up spilled by the star as he sat in front of a mirror.
None of Jackson's relatives have expressed an interest in any of the items, Nolan said. He pointed out that they had a chance to take whatever they wanted from the house in the months after his death.
The notes and posters brought to the auction house by Jackson fans and placed on the "medicine room" memorial will be sent to Jackson's mother and children, he said.
Jackson's relationship with Julien's turned sour in the last months of his life when he filed a lawsuit to stop the sale of furnishings from his Neverland ranch.
The singer sued the auction company, claiming he did not authorize the sale of items that were removed from Neverland after he sold the ranch. The suit was settled in April 2009 when Julien's canceled the auction and later returned the items to Jackson.
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