Marcel Marceau auction nets nearly 500,000 euros

[Jeffersons Ghost]

PARIS (AP) -- The battered top hat of legendary French mime Marcel Marceau, his signature sailor suit and other belongings have fetched nearly 500,000 euros ($700,000) at a two-day auction.

Marceau's daughter, Camille, organized the auction to settle her late father's outstanding debts that had helped finance his show. Marceau died 2007 at age 84.

His top hat and its single red flower went for 3,201 euros ($4,500), while his white sailor suit with its striped shirt and snug-fitting jacket fetched 5,700 euros ($8,000). Other items included furniture, paintings and art objects. The sale had been expected to raise some 300,000 euros ($420,000) in total.

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