The auction of Freddie Mercury’s personal items has raised almost 40 million pounds (more than 46.5 million euros).
That is much more than the £7.6 million that auction house Sotheby’s originally expected. It is the highest yield ever from an auction with items of great fame.
Black piano sells for 1.7 million
In London, clothing, works of art, jewelry and other (musical) property belonging to the singer, who died in 1991, went under the hammer. The showpiece was the black piano on which Mercury composed major Queen hits such as Bohemian Rhapsody. This item was auctioned for 1.7 million pounds, but it achieved less than the expected 2 to 3 million pounds.
Part of the proceeds will go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Mary Austin, Mercury’s former girlfriend and the organizer of the auction, gets the rest of the money.