
Oct. 16 (UPI) — Guinness World Records has announced the sale of a plastic crown worn by rapper The Notorious B.I.G. during an iconic photo shoot set a new world record when it sold for almost $ 600,000 at auction.
The rapper, born Christopher Wallace and also known as Biggie Smalls, wore the plastic crown in 1997 during a “King of New York” photo shoot for Rap Pages Magazine. A photo taken by Barron Claiborne during the shoot became one of the most famous images of the performer.
Sotheby’s auction house predicted the crown would sell for $ 200,000 to $ 300,000, but it far exceeded expectations and broke a world record by selling for $ 594,750.
Guinness said the plastic crown, signed by the rapper and the photographer, set a record for the most expensive fancy-dress/costume crown sold at auction.
The Notorious B.I.G. was born in 1972 and died at age 24 in 1997.