LONDON, England – Freddie Mercury’s beloved piano, which he used to compose ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and other Queen classics, sold for more than $2 million Wednesday in a record-breaking auction of the late singer’s colorful stage attire, fine art and original lyrics.
Items associated with the band’s most enduring hit, the operatic “Rhapsody,” fetched a premium, with hand-written lyrics to the song fetching around 1.4 million pounds ($1.7 million) and a gold Cartier brooch reading “Queen number 1” given to each band member by their manager after the song topped the charts fetching 165,000 pounds ($208,000).
Sotheby’s claimed a Victorian-style silver snake bangle Mercury wore with an ivory satin catsuit in a video for the song established a record for the highest sum ever paid at auction for a piece of jewelry owned by a rock singer.
The bracelet sold for 698,500 pounds ($881,000), more than a hundred times its anticipated low price. According to Sotheby’s, the piece broke the record set by John Lennon’s leather and bead talisman, which sold for 295,000 pounds ($368,000) in 2008.
Mercury amassed a varied collection of things after Queen’s glam-rock delivered an avalanche of hits that allowed the singer to realize his fantasy of living a Victorian existence “surrounded by exquisite clutter.”
More than 1,400 items are being auctioned by Mercury’s close friend, Mary Austin, to whom he left his house and all of its contents when he died of AIDS-related pneumonia at 45 in 1991.
Freddie Mercury’s beloved piano, which he used to compose ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and other Queen classics, sold for more than $2 million Wednesday.
“Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?” Mercury wrote. in “Rhapsody,” and the answer from well-heeled admirers appeared to be “No,” as they bid fortunes — huge — to have a piece of the late singer’s attire, accolades, and original hand-written draughts to hits like “Killer Queen” and “We Are the Champions.”
Depending on how you look at it, Sotheby’s, Austin, or a few charities she’s agreed to donate an undisclosed amount of the revenues were the night’s winners.
Or it could have been the buyers of one-of-a-kind collectibles who took home the prize. One man lifted his hands above his head in triumph and hugged the woman sat next to him after winning the rhinestone-studded crown and red fake fur cloak Mercury wore on stage at the end of Queen’s final tour in 1986 for 635,000 pounds ($801,500), including a buyer’s premium.
The auction began with the sale of the graffiti-tagged door to Mercury’s garden, which immediately blew over the high estimate of 25,000 pounds ($31,250) estimated before the sale and sparked a 15-minute bidding war.
The emerald door, covered in hand-painted love messages from fans who pilgrimage to the house in London’s affluent Kensington district, sold for an eye-popping 412,750 pounds ($521,000), including a buyer’s premium.
The earnings from selling a Cartier onyx and diamond ring presented to Mercury by Elton John for 273,000 pounds ($344,000) were to benefit the “Rocket Man” singer’s AIDS charity.
Freddie Mercury’s beloved piano, which he used to compose ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and other Queen classics, sold for more than $2 million Wednesday.
Prints by Pablo Picasso (190,500 pounds; $240,000), Salvador Dal (48,260 pounds; $60,900), and Marc Chagall (63,500 pounds; $80,000) were among the objects sold at auction, as were antique furniture and countless cat figurines.
Fans of Mercury who couldn’t afford those prices — or wanted to admire his high-top Adidas, diamond brooches, or sequined jacket — could view them for free in Sotheby’s galleries over the last month. Over 140,000 guests worldwide waited in queue outside the exquisite auction house to have a tour.
The publicity surrounding “Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own” boosted bidding for online auctions that began last month and will conclude next week.
Even things that appeared out of reach for some purchasers outperformed pre-sale projections for online items.
On Wednesday, a collection of chopsticks that were previously projected to bring 40-60 British pounds had a current offer of 1,200 ($1,500).
Freddie Mercury’s beloved piano, which he used to compose ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and other Queen classics, sold for more than $2 million Wednesday.
One of the more unusual objects, a silver mustache comb by Tiffany & Co, projected to fetch 400 to 600 pounds ($500—750), had a bid of 35,000 pounds ($43,750).
The Yamaha baby grand piano on which Mercury penned some of his best hits was expected to fetch up to 3 million pounds ($3.75 million) but instead sold for 1.7 million pounds ($2.2 million). Sotheby’s claimed it was the highest sum ever paid for a composer’s piano, but information on the previous record needed to be provided.
Fans also appreciated Mercury’s original lyrics to “Somebody to Love” (241,000 pounds; $304,000), as well as “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “We Are the Champions,” which both sold for the same final price: 317,500 pounds; $400,700.
The early versions of the songs were shown in the draughts, including “Bohemian Rhapsody” scrawled on stationery from the defunct British Midland Airways. The song’s title was changed from “Mongolian Rhapsody” to “Mongolian Rhapsody.”
The song concludes, “Nothing really matters to me,” a sentence that did not apply to Mercury’s numerous belongings.
SOURCE – (AP)
