The esteemed auction house Sotheby’s is getting into the rap game. They’re set to kick off the world’s first international auction dedicated solely to hip-hop with a sale topped by a plastic crown worn by late rapper Notorious B.I.G. The rapper sported the prop in the legendary 1996 “King of New York” shoot with photographer Barron Claiborne. Three days after the session, the rapper was murdered in Los Angeles. Sotheby’s is estimating that the crown could go for anywhere between $200,000 and $300,000.
“I expect that the crown could sell for a lot more because it’s so recognizable,” Cassandra Hatton, the senior Sotheby’s specialist in the books and manuscripts department who put the auction together, explained to Reuters. “Anybody who lived through the ’90s knows Biggie’s crown. It’s been on T-shirts, it’s been on the covers of magazines, it’s so iconic.” The piece comes direct from the photographer, and is hand-signed by Claiborne and the late rapper.
Other items up for auction during the sale include a collection of twenty-two love letters written by a sixteen-year-old Tupac Shakur to his high school sweetheart. They’re expected to pull anywhere from $60,000 to $80,000.
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