Michael Jackson memorabilia set to hit the auction block

If you're looking to buy some uber-tacky kitsch that used to belong to the former King of Pop, you'll want to make plans to attend a four-day public auction at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Jackson has never returned to his Neverland ranch since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges, and is now endorsing the auction of the estate's memorabilia. The Observer got an exclusive sneak peak at the auction's contents, and reports that "The sale also includes vintage video game machines, as well as Jackson's collection of 18th- and 19th-century art. There are books about Disney, the Three Stooges, Peter Pan and Alfred Hitchcock, as well as a collection of black history books, including the autobiography of Malcolm X. Then there is a selection of his own stage costumes, dating back from the days of the Jackson 5 through to the present. There is one of the fedoras he wore in the video for Billie Jean; a pair of trousers so studded with diamanté that they feel as heavy as chain mail; there are customised military jackets, featuring insignia surely acquired on his global travels - including badges from the Royal Air Force and the Thai Narcotics Bureau."

Unlike the 2007 auction of Jackson family memorabilia that had been abandoned in a storage locker, this auction actually bears the endorsement of Michael Jackson, although it's doubtful that he'll be the beneficiary of the proceeds.

It'll be interesting to see how much interest there is in this collection, with Jackson's cultural relevance at an all-time low and the weak economy hurting demand for collectibles. But job or no, who could pass up this Elizabethan-style portrait or MJ? It would look great in a bedroom.