Sotheby’s London will host a sale of a range of items owned by the late pop superstar Freddie Mercury.
According to a Bloomberg report, some 1,500 items will be sold over the course of six auctions. It’s expected to bring in more than £6 million ($7.4 million), although the lots are still being cataloged, so totals and estimates could change.
Every object will be taken from Mercury’s London home, known as Garden Lodge, which he bequeathed to his friend Mary Austin upon his death from AIDS-related complications in 1991. Austin has occupied the house ever since, and has “cared and loved these objects very carefully over the years,” says David Macdonald, head of single owner sales at Sotheby’s London. “I don’t think Mary used the things as Freddie did. I think she saw herself as a curator and caretaker—that was her overarching view of it,” states the Bloomberg report.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Mercury’s famous crown and accompanying cloak, which he wore for the finale rendition of God Save the Queen during his last tour with Queen is estimated at £60,000 to £80,000, states the Bloomberg report. A jacket Sotheby’s has designated “military style,” which he wore for his 39th birthday party drag ball in Munich, is estimated between £10,000 and £15,000. The waistcoat he wore for his final video, These Are the Days of Our Lives, in 1991 is also on offer. The waistcoat’s silk panels boast hand-painted depictions of Mercury’s cats, Delilah, Goliath, Oscar, Lily, Romeo and Miko. It’s estimated at £5,000 to £7,000, reports the Bloomberg report.
There’s also major music memorabilia, including Mercury’s handwritten manuscript working lyrics to We Are the Champions, and art including Utagawa Hiroshige’s 1857 woodblock print Sudden Shower Over the Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake, estimated between £30,000 and £50,000, states the Bloomberg report.
