BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

Julien’s Auctions presented “LEGENDS IN MOTION” the internationally acclaimed entertainment memorabilia auction house’s inaugural pop culture sale in Hong Kong Saturday, September 28, 2024 live in front of a buzzing audience of collectors, enthusiasts and fans at Island Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong with hundreds of bidders participating from around the world online at juliensauctions.com.

A marquee lineup of 87 star-studded items from the world’s most acclaimed champions of sports, music and entertainment went under the hammer, garnering a total of US$3 million/ HK$23.3 million.

Leading up to the auction, the city of Hong Kong celebrated the cultural impact of Bruce Lee’s life and career at a museum style public exhibition held September 14-27 at Pacific Place, drawing massive crowds of 43,000 visitors–a record number in Julien’s history of exhibitions.

Iconic objects from his blockbuster films and martial arts legacy returned to Hong Kong, the city where Lee grew up in, trained and became a martial arts star, for the first time in over 50 years and were showcased alongside LeBron James’ jersey and other iconic items from Taylor Swift, BTS, Michael Jackson, and FIFA and NBA stars before being sold at Julien’s “Legends in Motion” all-star auction.

LeBron James’ legendary St. Vincent-St. Mary High School jersey, famously worn on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2002 when he was crowned “The Chosen One” was the main event scoring US$1.3 million/HK$10,140,000, a new world record for a high school basketball jersey sold at auction. The jersey marked the beginning of LeBron’s storied career, as he became the first high school junior to grace a Sports Illustrated cover cementing his status as a rising superstar.

Rare limited-edition photo prints taken at the Sports Illustrated shoot by renowned photographer Michael LeBrecht also racked top points at the auction including the cover image of LeBron James wearing “The Chosen One” high school jersey sold for US$16,250/HK$126,750, sixteen times its pre-sale estimate of US$1,000.

An exceptional collection of illustrious items from global pop culture icon Bruce Lee electrified the auction podium including Lee’s pairs of nunchakus, weaponry used in his classic films and training, hand-drawn illustrations and choreography notes, and personal items.

Highlights of this collection included: 

From his martial arts classic film Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee’s stunt nunchaku used during the iconic cavern fight sequence in (US$190,500/HK$1,485,900 more than six times the pre-sale estimate of US$30,000/HK$234,000) and vale-tudo gloves used in the opening fight sequence (US$70,002/HK$546,000, 3.5 times of the estimate of US$20,000/HK$156,000); his natural wood nunchaku, screen-used in his epic martial arts film Fist of Fury (US$169,000/HK$1,318,200, eight times its estimate of US$20,000/HK$156,000); personal signature chops and original presentation box that represented Lee’s de-facto power of attorney when he was alive (US$91,000/HK$709,800); handwritten and signed “May-June 1967” training calendar (US$58,500/HK$456,300, nearly ten times its estimate of US$6,000/HK$46,800); his custom made tan nunchaku (US$58,500/HK$456,300 nearly six times its estimate of US$10,000/HK$78,000); vintage designer sunglasses gifted to his younger brother, Robert Lee (US$34,925/HK$272,415 nearly five times its estimate of US$8,000/HK$624,000); custom-made wooden “Mook Yan Jong” dummy personally used by Bruce Lee for Wing Chun training (US$29,250/HK$228,150); Wing Chun butterfly swords (US$22,225/HK$173,355, nearly four times its estimate of US$6,000/HK$46,800), and more.

Other exceptional highlights included:

Taylor Swift’s “Anti Hero” music video used original artwork (US$35,750/HK$278,850 six times its estimate of US$6,000/HK$46,800); her 2023 Eras Tour black signed fedora hat (US$22,750/HK$177,450 eleven times its estimate of US$2,000/HK$156,000); and Fearless Tour era autographed gold, knee-high boots (US$11,700/HK$91,260, eleven times its estimate of US$1,000/HK$7,800)

A group of outfits worn by BTS in their 2020 iconic music video for “Life Goes On” (US$88,900/HK$693,420, over the estimate of US$60,000/HK$468,000)

Michael Jackson’s Thriller-era Bellmaster cobalt blue uniform jacket (US$52,000/HK$405,600)

Diego Maradona’s Adidas brand Argentina jersey match-worn during the 1977-79 international seasons (US$19,050/HK$148,590)

A commemorative 2021 Copa America medal presented by the AFA and personally owned by Lionel Messi (US$3,900/HK$30,420)

“We are thrilled with the success of our inaugural auction in Hong Kong, a historic moment for Julien’s Auctions where we celebrated the cultural legacy of global icons from Bruce Lee to LeBron James and the vibrant spirit of this cosmopolitan world city,” said Martin Nolan, Co-founder and Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions. “The overwhelming response from collectors and fans from Hong Kong and beyond demonstrates the enduring appeal of pop culture memorabilia. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this remarkable event and look forward to continuing our journey in this dynamic market.”

*All Photos from Julien’s Auction