NEWS
Freddie Mercury’s Baby Grand Piano Sells For $2.2 Million on Auction’s First Night
Courtesy of freddiemercury/Instagram
The opening night of the Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own auction at Sotheby’s on Wednesday brought in $15.4 million, with a baby grand piano once owned by the Queen frontman going for nearly $2.2 million.
According to the auction house, some 140,000 fans visited Sotheby’s New Bond Street in London to see the exhibit before the items went under the hammer, 93% of which sold over estimate.
The Evening Sale, the auction’s opening night, featured 60 lots including handwritten lyrics, clothing, jewels, art and other objects of rock history.
A handwritten draft for the lyrics to “Bohemian Rhapsody” sold for more than $1.7 million. Collectors also bid on the handwritten lyrics for “Somebody To Love,” ($301,000), “Killer Queen” ($349,000) and “We Are the Champions” ($396,000).
The prized piano on which he wrote “Bohemian Rhapsody” and so many other other rock classics, a 1973 Yamaha G2 baby grand, sold for $2.17 million.
Several prints by Picasso, Dalí and Miró were sold, along with the green door to his home, the Garden Lodge, which was covered with years worth of graffiti left by fans.
From Mercury’s jewelry collection, an Onyx and diamond ring that was a gift from Elton John sold for $340,529, which will be donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Sotheby’s said.
The jewelry collection also included the silver snake bangle Mercury wore in the “Bohemian Rhapsody” music video in 1975, which sold for $871,000.
The iconic Adidas high-tops Mercury was seen wearing countless times on stage and in photographs sold for $158,000. The auction house said a bidder “literally jumped for joy” after winning the crown and cloak designed by Diana Moseley for the Magic tour, at a price of $792,000.
The items were put up for auction by Mary Austin, a close friend of Mercury who inherited most of his estate after his 1991 death.
Five more auctions will take place in London and online through Tuesday, featuring more than 1,000 additional items from throughout Mercury’s life.
TMX contributed to this article.
