From Locks of Hair to Spacesuits: Exploring the 50+ Most Outlandish Celebrity Memorabilia Items Ever Sold

Price: $560,000*
Year sold: 2020 

Michael Jordan will go down in history as one of the (if not the) best basketball players of all time. He also is one of the NBA’s greatest businessmen, thanks to his billion-dollar shoe line, Air Jordans. In 1985, Jordan wore a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1s that he later signed.

Michael Jordan's Nike Air Jordan 1s @manofmany/Pinterest

These Air Jordans became a piece of history, and they sold for $560,000 at a Sotheby’s auction in the spring of 2020. With that sale, these Jordans became the most expensive pair of tennis shoes ever sold at an auction.

Price: $2,050*
Year sold: 2008

Scarlett Johansson is one of the world’s most famous actresses, thanks to her roles in a variety of films, including the M.C.U. franchise as Black Widow. During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Johansson told a rather funny tale about a used tissue.

Scarlett Johansson's Used Tissue @thethingscom/Pinterest

During filming one of her Marvel movies, Johansson caught a cold from co-star Samuel L. Jackson. She, obviously, used a lot of Kleenex while she was sick, and she chose to auction off one of those tissues for over $2,000 on eBay. All proceeds of this strange sale, happily, went to charity.

Price: $898,240*
Year sold: 2019 

Darth Vader’s helmet is among the most easy-to-recognize pieces of sci-fi history in the world. It was a constant presence throughout the Star Wars film, and the villain was played by David Prowse for Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

David Prowse's Darth Vader’s Helmet ©Astroscobee/Wikimedia

One wealthy mega-fan bought Prowse’s black, intimidating-looking Vader helmet for $898,240 in 2019. Ultimately, when fees and taxes were factored in, that brought the cost of this piece of sci-fi memorabilia to over $1 million.  

Price: $12,000*
Year sold: 2013 

We’ve seen Lady Gaga’s career go through a lot of changes over the past 15 years. Her Born This Way Tour was one of her most successful, as shows from this tour sold out cities across the world.

Lady Gaga's Broken Acrylic Nail @alluremagazine/Pinterest

A crew member working on the tour managed to find a discarded acrylic nail that belonged to Gaga. The member took this backstage find and auctioned it off for $12,000. The nail came with a letter of provenance, two pictures of Gaga with and without the acrylic nail, an event crew wristband, and an Aviva Stadium staff handbook, all to let the buyer know the auction was legit.

Price: $35,460*
Year sold: 2011 

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark came out in 1981, and it was one of the most successful movies that year. For a lot of people, Raiders became their favorite Indiana Jones film. If you’ll remember, Indy (played by Harrison Ford) always kept his trusty bullwhip on him during scenes.

Harrison Ford's 'Indiana Jones' Bullwhip @telegrafcomua/Pinterest

That bullwhip, which was one of several used during filming, sold for $35,460 at auction in 2011. Bonhams thought it would only fetch $5,000, but, apparently, there were some very competitive, wealthy bidders at the auction that evening.

Price: $20,910*
Year sold: 2019 

Tennis fans were shocked during the 2018 U.S. Open Finals when tennis legend Serena Williams, frustrated at the refs, smashed her racket after she lost the Open to Naomi Osaka. She then gave the broken racket to a nearby ball boy.

Serena Williams' 2018 US Open Final Tennis Racket @Google/Pinterest

The ball boy sold it to someone else for $500, and the racket was, later, auctioned off for almost $21,000 in 2019. Looking back, the ball boy, Justin Holmes, said he regretted initially selling the racket for such a low price.

Price: 1999
Year sold: $1.267 million* 

Marilyn Monroe’s dress, which she wore to sing “Happy Birthday Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy, has become a culturally-iconic piece of clothing. Covered in around 2,500 rhinestones, Marilyn’s dress would go up for auction at Christie’s in 1999.

Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday' Dress ©Cecil W. Stoughton/Wikimedia

A wealthy buyer bought the gown for $1.267 million, representing one of the highest prices for an auctioned gown ever. According to historians, this glittering gown was so form-fitting, Marilyn had to be sewn into it the day of Kennedy’s birthday party.

Price: $965,000*
Year sold: 2013 

Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali) and Sonny Liston met up to box in 1965, making history for the infamous “phantom punch.” The gloves that both athletes wore during the controversial fight would, decades later, become expensive sports memorabilia.

Muhammad Ali's Boxing Gloves @Google/Pinterest

One sports fan paid $965,000 for a pair of these gloves at an auction in 2015. Rarely has sports memorabilia reached these pricing heights, but the fight between Liston and Clay/Ali was incredibly groundbreaking, so the cost makes sense.

Price: $8.8 million*
Year sold: 2011 

Famous for being one of the most stunning actresses of all time, Elizabeth Taylor was known for her talent and for her collection of jewelry. In 2011, that collection, which consisted of gems, rubies, diamonds, and pearls, went up for auction.

Elizabeth Taylor's Diamond Ring @thetimessunday/Pinterest

There were eighty items in total, all of which sold for $116 million. One diamond ring, measuring 33.19 carats, sold for $8.8 million on its own. Richard Burton purchased this heavy stunner for his wife before the two called it quits (twice) in the seventies.