Photo: Moments in Time
There is a more macabre side to car collecting and celebrity memorabilia, and that involves collectibles related to tragic events in certain public figures' lives. This is definitely one such collectible.
Humanity has always been fascinated by its own mortality, but death seems to exert an almost irresistible pull where a celebrity is concerned. The bigger star, the bigger the appeal. The more controversial the star’s passing, the higher the value of the collectible.
That is the only way you can explain how a Chevrolet Suburban hubcap is on sale for $150,000 on the collector market. It is currently listed with Moments in Time memorabilia dealer, and it is one of the four hubcaps on Notorious B.I.G.’s “death car.”
On March 9, 1997, as he was driving away from the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles with his crew, rap icon Biggie (Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls) was gunned down while stopped at the lights in an intersection not far from the venue. The murder hasn’t been resolved to this day, but authorities know that the shooter was traveling in a dark-colored 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS.
As for Biggie, he was seated in the front passenger seat of the Suburban. Another Suburban and a Chevrolet Blazer were part of the convoy, and neither was shot at. Four bullets hit the rapper, and one proved fatal: he was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital.
The hubcap now being sold still has part of the ad sticker that reads “THINK B.I.G. MARCH 25 1997,” which was used to promote his upcoming album, Life After Death, that was coming out later that month. The cost: a whopping $150,000, but the memorabilia dealer stresses that it comes with a “lifetime certificate of authenticity.”
TMZ reports that the hubcap has “been around” before this public offering. It used to belong to a family friend of the owner of the rental company that owned the Suburban, and there’s an implication that it’s been part of several private collections. So, if you have money to throw around, here’s an item that’s tied down directly to what many rappers call “nearly the end of rap.” Morbid? Sure. Valuable? You bet (on the right market).
That is the only way you can explain how a Chevrolet Suburban hubcap is on sale for $150,000 on the collector market. It is currently listed with Moments in Time memorabilia dealer, and it is one of the four hubcaps on Notorious B.I.G.’s “death car.”
On March 9, 1997, as he was driving away from the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles with his crew, rap icon Biggie (Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls) was gunned down while stopped at the lights in an intersection not far from the venue. The murder hasn’t been resolved to this day, but authorities know that the shooter was traveling in a dark-colored 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS.
As for Biggie, he was seated in the front passenger seat of the Suburban. Another Suburban and a Chevrolet Blazer were part of the convoy, and neither was shot at. Four bullets hit the rapper, and one proved fatal: he was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital.
The hubcap now being sold still has part of the ad sticker that reads “THINK B.I.G. MARCH 25 1997,” which was used to promote his upcoming album, Life After Death, that was coming out later that month. The cost: a whopping $150,000, but the memorabilia dealer stresses that it comes with a “lifetime certificate of authenticity.”
TMZ reports that the hubcap has “been around” before this public offering. It used to belong to a family friend of the owner of the rental company that owned the Suburban, and there’s an implication that it’s been part of several private collections. So, if you have money to throw around, here’s an item that’s tied down directly to what many rappers call “nearly the end of rap.” Morbid? Sure. Valuable? You bet (on the right market).
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