Weeks after Michael Jackson's death, his memorabilia is still flying off the shelves.
An East Bay rancher stumbled upon a collection he now considers quite a thriller.
You could easily pass by the Chuck Moore's "Graceland" sign as you drive through Castro Valley. There are no Elvis tributes there, but there is now a new link to "the King of Pop."
Inside the ranch are dozens of items Moore found at a garage sale at Jackson's famous Neverland Ranch.
Moore said he didn't buy the stuff because he was a Jackson fan. He just needed things for his equestrian center and yearly pumpkin patch.
Here's a partial list of the loot:
- A dozen life-like mannequins
- Several bags of youth riding gear
- A red four-wheeler ATV
- Neverland golf carts with the MJ name plate inside and a Batman logo
- Turtle ride
In all, Moore spent $40,000 and bought more than he ever imagined he could get for that amount of money.
He knew he had something rare, but then came June 25, and word that Michael Jackson had died of heart failure.
Suddenly, a wave of interest in all things M.J. hit the country. An eBay search this week showed some 36,000 Jackson-related items.
So far the Moores have sold one thing.
"Had a really nice go cart with the Michael Jackson Neverland logo on the hood, but a friend of my brothers really wanted it and twisted my arm with some cash so I said OK," Moore said.
He says the rest of the Neverland items will not be sold just to get rid of them. He said he doesn't want to take advantage of Jackson's death, adding he has a greater appreciation of the man and his things after visiting Neverland.
As for the Neverland, neighbors living around the ranch say they plan to fight the move to turn it into a tourist attraction.
They say the area doesn't have adequate roads, police or infrastructure to support potential crowds.
They say they also want to maintain the area's tranquility.
Neverland Ranch co-owner Thomas Barack has not proposed any plans yet, but neighbors have formed a group called "never" just in case.
