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Michael Jackson Signing Styles in Julien's Tompkins and Bush Sale

On December 2, Julien's Auctions is selling The Collection of Tompkins and Bush. The collection contains 465 lots of Michael Jackson memorabilia, 287 of them autographed.

Michael Bush and the late Dennis Tompkins were Michael Jackson's costume designers for 25 years, during Jackson's most successful period. They were the consignors of the signed Thriller jacket that Julien's sold for $1,800,000 in June 2011.

Almost all of the autographs in the Tompkins and Bush sale are a variation I'm not familiar with. I've only been looking at Jackson's autograph for a few years, though, and we have members here who have collected him for decades, so I'd appreciate your input and exemplars.

If you know Michael Jackson's autograph well, please look at a few images below from the auction and let me know what you think. Even better, browse the auction and upload any similar examples you have: http://www.julienslive.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/77/

Julien's is the world's premier auction house for Michael Jackson memorabilia, so they would know his autograph better than most of us. I'm just surprised I haven't seen this style before.

Thanks for your help.

Tags: 2012, Julien's, auction, michael jackson, tompkins and bush

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 1, 2013 at 4:59pm

Yes, I think he did, Helen.

We need to set up a Michael Jackson reference library, run by you friends and fans.

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Permalink Reply by TeamMichael777 on January 1, 2013 at 6:29pm

I'm convinced too Steve, i see the "T" and "F" wow, Sharon has a truly unique authentic sig, lucky girl

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Permalink Reply by Wendy Christine on January 1, 2013 at 11:22pm

FIRST an open request: Sandy would you please be able to scan better quality images of the pages from MLB's book that I'm uploading here so we can see the details and read the captions? Or anyone else who has a copy of Bush's book, please?

Page 76 of his book, Bush brags about the selling of the Thriller jacket for $1.8M.

Page 101 (bottom caption) Also brags about selling "original" Bad jacket : "Dennis and I (???) sold at auction for $290,000 in 2009."

So he claims $290,000. WELL, It sold for $324,000... it's one of the examples I posted the other day - Music Icons November 21, 2009 - Lot 308 - MICHAEL JACKSON WORN BAD WORLD TOUR JACKET.

Maybe in Bush's materialistic brain he's subtracting Darren's cut. However it's an inaccurate official figure and he's stating it in his book.... in print.

He's $34,000 under claiming ,,,,, BUT WHAT REALLLY JUMPS OUT AT ME HERE IS THAT HE IS ADMITTING THAT HE WAS THE CONSIGNER WITH JULIEN'S ON THIS JACKET (as I am able to read the blurry caption) - because the signature on the jacket was one that we were unable to say for sure was either of the two fake signature styles.

Well, I believe he just VERIFIED HIS DIRECT CONNECTION TO IT.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 2, 2013 at 12:13am

Isn't this the jacket that supposedly sold at Sotheby's or Christie's in 1989?

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Permalink Reply by Wendy Christine on January 2, 2013 at 12:25am

I don't know Steve. It's in Bush's book and the caption - it's blurry but what I can make out says "Dennis and I (?) sold at auction for $290,000 in 2009." In the last photo I posted. It's blurry but that's what it looks like.

Maybe Sandy or someone would scan page 101and upload the bottom caption..

If it did sell previously, I suppose Bush can say he photographed it before 1989 sale. Conveniently we can't see the back where it was signed.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 2, 2013 at 12:28am

If that's the case, perhaps they purchased it in the auction.

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Permalink Reply by TeamMichael777 on January 2, 2013 at 3:19pm

Steve points to Note:- Sotherbys sold jacket in 1989, Michael did not sign it for them. See signature is dated 1998, Is this MJ's signing style from 1989? Or was "Love" and the date added at a later? Or is the signature another forgery by Bush, My opinion is its a fake sig by Bush added after the fact, i am sure Sotherbys description of the jacket would have had "Signed by MJ" if it was? We definatley need Roger and other experts on this.

MICHAEL JACKSON CONCERT WORN “BAD” WORLD TOUR JACKET

Black synthetic blend concert worn jacket from Jackson's first tour as a solo artist, his September 12, 1987 through January 24, 1989 Bad World Tour. The jacket features black straps with silver buckles and silver zippers, the signature look of Jackson's Bad era. This concert jacket features a “Michael Bush, Dennis Tompkins” label and is signed on the back in silver sharpie market “Love Michael Jackson 1998” with his signature three 0's over an arrow design. Jackson often signed “1998” as early as the 1980s. Some speculate that he did so believing that it would be the year of his death. Jackson donated this jacket to Tony Martell, to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation.

The jacket was sold in Sotheby's June 24, 1989 Collectors' Carrousel auction as lot 604. The printed catalog for this sale only lists items up to lot number 586. The last items listed in the auction catalog were sold to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research. It has been confirmed with the expert in charge of that sale that at the last minute, Tony Martell, a well-known recording industry executive, obtained a number of additional donations to be sold for the charity. These additional lots were included in the sale's addendum but do not appear in the printed catalog as they were received after the printing deadline. The official sale result price sheets for the sale confirm that nearly twenty lots, which do not appear in the catalog, were added to the sale. This lot includes the original sale catalog, as well as the original Sotheby's invoice for the piece.

Provenance: Sotheby's Collector's Carrousel June 24, 1989 lot 604

http://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2009/music-icons/michael-ja...

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Permalink Reply by Charlotte Stanley on January 2, 2013 at 8:06am

Are you saying this jacket is same as signed one sold at Juliens in 2009? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3390028983519&set=a.3381...

If I remember right Juliens story listed when it sold was it was gifted to someone, but not sure. It does look the same and the signature doesnt look good. I wasnt as savvy then on signatures but now I think it looks bad.

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Permalink Reply by Wendy Christine on January 2, 2013 at 6:38pm

Yes Charlotte, It's the same Bad jacket which Bush has shown in his book that Juliens sold in 2009. I seem to remember Bush spinning the story to the media that because MJ supposedly just couldn't stop telling T&B how they must write a book to showcase their designs - that was why Bush happened to have all of Michael's clothing photographed.

So if asked how he managed to have a photo of a jacket reportedly sold at auction over 20 years ago to include in his book, I imagine the above floated story would be his answer.

Unless Sotheby's had a photograph in archives to loan him (which should then be in his book credits).

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 2, 2013 at 12:21am

Calling the jacket $290K instead of $324K could be done by anyone. $290K was probably the hammer price (Julien's must have had a different pricing structure then), because $290,000 + 10% ($29,000) = $324,000.

Consignors typically get documentation based on the hammer price, because the commission the auction house takes from them is based on that. So T&B probably got paperwork saying:

$290,000 sales price

- 58,000 for the 20% commission

$232,000 Net Proceeds