British auction house Sotheby’s announced April 27 that dozens of items previously owned by Queen frontman and rock legend Freddie Mercury will be going up for auction later this year, according to Men`s Journal. Taken from his personal home—Garden Lodge in Kensington, West London—the items span his illustrious career.
Some of the items available will hold significant value to Queen fans. His 1975 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar, believed to be the one he used to write and record “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” in 1979, will hit the auction block for an estimated $37,000 to $62,000. A cat-covered waistcoat, worn in 1991’s “These Are the Days of Our Lives” video, is expected to fetch at least $6,000. There’s even a hand-written manuscript of “We Are the Champions” lyrics, as well as his famed crown and cloak from Queen’s The Magic Tour in 1986.
Others are more personal to Mercury, including portions of his collection of Japanese art, a silver Tiffany & Co. mustache comb, and notebooks of his own drawings. Even more will be revealed later this year.
The auctions won’t take place until September, but Mercury fans will get a chance to check out these items on exhibition in select cities this year. They’ll take over the entire Sotheby’s London location from August 4 through September 5, with select items also touring New York City, Hong Kong, London, and Los Angeles in June. Six auctions will follow beginning September 6, with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
