LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) – From Slash’s guitar to a poster John Lennon signed hours before he was killed, items from music history hit the auction block next week in a sale valued at 1.5 million pounds ($2 million).
More than 400 lots are being offered in Propstore’s Music Memorabilia Live Auction on April 30, including costumes, instruments and photos among other items.
Leading the sale is Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash’s stage-used and autographed Gibson Les Paul ’59 Custom Shop guitar, which he played during the band’s “Not In This Lifetime… Tour”. It has a price estimate of 150,000 pounds to 300,000 pounds ($405,210).
A promotional poster for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s final collaborative album “Double Fantasy”, signed by the former Beatle on December 8, 1980 – the day he was shot dead – is priced at 60,000-120,000 pounds.
Sold with audio proof, Propstore said it was one of only four items Lennon signed that day, hours before being shot at the entrance of the Dakota, his apartment building in New York.
“The poster itself is super rare because it was only available with promotional copies of the album… and he gave each of these to the crew who were interviewing him, RKO Radio,” Mark Hochman, head of the music department at Propstore, said at a press preview on Wednesday.
A Shure 565 SD award gold microphone presented to Queen and used by frontman Freddie Mercury is also listed, with an estimate of 30,000-60,000 pounds.
It is being sold by former Queen roadie Peter Hince, who was gifted the microphone by Mercury. Hince is also selling other Queen items, including a tambourine used by Mercury and a limited-edition blue vinyl pressing of the band’s hit song “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
“These are things that I got during my time with the band. I don’t collect but I know there are people who’ll be over the moon to get these things,” Hince said.
Other items offered in Propstore’s auction include a leather jacket worn by late singer George Michael in the “Faith” music video and a jacket worn by late rapper The Notorious B.I.G.
($1 = 0.7404 pounds)
(Reporting by Marie-Louise GumuchianEditing by Bill Berkrot)
