Michael Jackson's white glove heads to Macau hotel

A hotel in the glitzy gambling haven of Macau will display Michael Jackson's rhinestone-encrusted glove after paying $US350,000 ($A380,680) for the piece of pop history at auction, the hotel said on Sunday.

Jackson wore the sparkling glove when he performed his first "moonwalk" dance in 1983. The auction in New York on Saturday featured more than 70 items from the late king of pop's career.

Hoffman Ma, deputy chief executive of the Ponte 16 gaming resort, made his winning bid on the hotel's behalf. With commission included, the glove cost $US420,000 ($A456,820) in total, spokeswoman Jennie Yeung said.

The five-star hotel - half-owned by gambling tycoon Stanley Ho's Sociedade de Jogos de Macau - will open a gallery early next year to showcase the glove and nine other Jackson items from the auction, Yeung told AFP.

The decision to buy Jackson memorabilia had been discussed by Ponte 16's senior executives for several months, Yeung said.

"Michael Jackson is a legendary entertainer and so it was very important to buy some of his collectables," she said. "We're definitely planning to exhibit the glove with some of the other items we bought."

In a statement, Ma said: "We aim to create a 'Rendezvous' to reminisce this great performer of the 20th century."

Among the nine other items Ponte 16 bought were a pair of sequin-encrusted socks, portraits of Charlie Chaplin drawn by Jackson as a child, and a shirt he wore in his Thriller video.

The pre-sale estimate was for the glove to fetch a $US40,000 ($A43,510) to $US60,000. ($A65,260)

But with Jackson mania surging five months after the singer's death, frenzied bidders from around the world sent the price rocketing at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York's Times Square.

Jackson died on June 25, aged 50, at his rented mansion in Los Angeles after an overdose of prescription drugs.