Keith Girard
Jesse Helt the homeless man who escorted Miley Cryus (inset) on stage at the 2014 MTV Video Awards, has sold the Moonman she won on eBay for $60k. (Photo: eBay/Getty)
Okay, the Moonman isn’t an Oscar, which have been known to sell for six-figures and up depending on the provenance.
Still, Helt did pretty good. He got $60,211 for Miley’s statue. The sale largely went unheralded until the bidding was over.
It’s not the first Moonman to be auctioned, but it may be the best selling.
That previous honor goes to Michael Jackson’s MTV Video Music “Viewer’s Choice” Award for “Thriller.” It sold for $51,200 in 2013. It was awarded at the inaugural 1984 awards show.
The late Whitney Houston’s 1986 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video for “How Will I Know” sold for $16,250, according to Heritage Auctions.
An MTV Moonman for best video from a film for “Beautiful Stranger” presented to Caresse Norman sold at auction for $12,500. Madonna sang “Beautiful Stranger,” written for the 1999 Austin Powers film “The Spy Who Shagged Me.”
Another MTV Moonman presented to Norman, Madonna’s long-time manager, in 1998 for Best Editing in a Video in “Ray of Light,” sold for $10,625.
At the 2014 MVA Video Awards show, Cyrus won Video of the Year for her “Wrecking Ball” video.
She brought Helt on stage with her to draw awareness to the number of young people who are homeless. She also presented him with the statuette.
Helt, who now lives in a Los Angeles apartment and is expecting a child, put the statue up for bid with a “buy it now” price of $22,000. Bidding started at $10,300.
The contest quickly escalated. Some 53 bids were cast before it reached the final selling price.
At least Helt didn’t have to give up a buyer’s premium.
Let us know your thoughts and be sure to follow IM on Twitter for the latest celebrity news.