Auction house Sotheby’s will auction a large collection of objects from Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in September.
The items come from the contents of Garden Lodge in London, the house where Mercury lived the last years of his life. Mercury died in 1991 at the age of 45 from AIDS.
The large house remained untouched for thirty years and preserved as a kind of shrine, but now more than 1500 objects from the contents are auctioned.
Before bidding can be made on the diverse collection of art, handwritten lyrics and iconic costumes in which Mercury performed, the items are first shown in various exhibitions.
God Save the Queen
The most special things pass by in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Among the items is a crown resembling the crown of St. Edward, which King Charles will wear at his coronation next weekend, and a matching cloak made of red velvet, faux fur and rhinestones.
Mercury wore the outfit for his rendition of God Save the Queen, which concluded the band’s last ever live performance, at Knebworth in 1986.
Watch that moment here:
Queen – God Save The Queen – Knebworth Park 1986
The exhibitions are freely accessible and free, but it is expected that the objects that will be auctioned will yield a lot of money.
Like the lyrics written by Mercury to the song We are the Champions, which is thought to be worth £300,000. An amount of around £600,000 is also expected for a painting by the artist James Tissot.
The items are auctioned by Mary Austin, to whom he bequeathed the Garden Lodge and its contents. Austin was one of the rock singer’s best friends and the two lived together for a long time.
Evening auction
“For many years I have had the pleasure and privilege of being surrounded by all the wonderful things that Freddie loved so much. But the time has come for me to make the difficult decision and close a very special chapter in my life.” Austin said in a press statement today.
Austin has said he will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale to two AIDS foundations: the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
You can bid on Mercury objects in six special auctions in September, with an evening auction on September 6, offering the most important items from the collection.
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