Freddie Mercury’s piano sold at auction for £1.74 million. Other items belonging to the legendary singer also achieved high prices. However, Queen guitarist Brian May has suggested that he is against selling the memorabilia.
A Yamaha baby grand piano that once belonged to Freddie Mercury, on which the late Queen frontman composed some of his greatest hits, was sold on Wednesday in London at Sothebery’s auction house. It achieved a dizzying price of 1.74 million pounds (or PLN 9.3 million). As the New York Times points out, a total of over 1,400 commemorative items belonging to the legendary singer were auctioned. A very high price of 1.3 million pounds (almost PLN 7 million) was achieved by the 15-page manuscript of one of the greatest rock hits in history – “Bohemian Rhapsody”. He reveals the different ideas Mercury had for the song. Garden doors from the singer’s west London home were auctioned for PLN 412,000. pounds (approx. PLN 2.2 million), although it was estimated that the item would be sold for PLN 15,000-25,000. pounds. The silver bracelet in the shape of a snake, which Freddie Mercury wore in the music video “Bohemian Rhapsody”, was sold for exactly 698,500 pounds (over PLN 3.7 million). And the Cartier ring with onyx and diamond, which was a gift to Mercury from Sir Elton John, was sold for £273,000 (over PLN 1.4 million) – as the Guardian points out – almost 70 times more expensive than estimated.
Queen’s guitarist is against selling souvenirs
The organizer of the auction is Mary Austin. The now 72-year-old woman met Mercury in 1970, and soon they became a couple and moved in together. Their relationship lasted six years, but after they broke up, they remained friends. The BBC emphasizes that Austin took care of the star when he was seriously ill and dying of AIDS. After the musician’s death, her friend rarely spoke publicly about him, but in an interview with the portal she assured that he was still an important part of her life. “I miss his humor, warmth and energy,” she said. As explained by the BBC, Mercury had been collecting items from the collection for 30 years. He kept them in his home in west London. After the musician’s death in 1991, both the house and its equipment became the property of Austin.
Brian May, who was the guitarist and co-founder of the band Queen, published a post on Instagram in which he made it clear that he did not like the sale of legendary items belonging to Mercury. “Freddie’s most intimate personal belongings and writings that have been part of what we shared for so many years will go under the hammer, be given to the highest bidder and be scattered forever. I cannot bear to watch it. For us, his loved ones friends and family, it’s too sad.”
Guardian, BBC, New York Times
Main photo source: PAP/EPA