The Notorious B.I.G.'s KoNY Crown

Worn by Christopher Wallace — aka The Notorious B.I.G. — in the iconic "King of New York" photoshoot just three days before his death, this crown is an important piece of hip hop history. The crown has spent the last 23 years in the possession of photographer Barron Claiborne, who created the images and the theme for the shoot. It's inscribed on the interior with "Crown from Biggie KONY Shot NYC 3-6-97", bears both Wallace's and Claiborne's signatures, and will be accompanied in the lot by three 36" x 40" prints from the shoot as well as the contact sheet when it goes up for sale as part of Sotheby's Hip Hop auction on September 15th.