Freddie Mercury's Piano and Over 1400 Personal Items to Be Auctioned at Sotheby's
Over 1400 personal belongings of the frontman of the British rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury, will be up for auction at Sotheby's, as reported on the auction house's website.
The central piece of the collection, according to Sotheby's experts, is the Yamaha G2 Baby Grand Piano, purchased by Mercury in 1975. It is believed that he composed numerous classic songs for his band, including "Bohemian Rhapsody," on this piano. The estimated value of this lot is £2-3 million (approximately $3.8 million). The auction will also feature handwritten song lyrics, drafts, and notes.
It is expected that the handwritten draft of "Bohemian Rhapsody," which shows Mercury experimenting with the title "Mongolian Rhapsody" before crossing it out, will be sold for £800,000 to £1.2 million (approximately $1-1.5 million).
"We have working lyrics for almost every song Freddie Mercury wrote in the 1970s," said Gabriel Heaton, an auction house specialist. "We have large working drafts that really show how songs developed, how they changed, how they were formed in the most wonderful way."
As known, Freddie Mercury bequeathed his London home, known as "Garden Lodge," and all his possessions to his former partner and close friend, Mary Austin. Some items have already been put up for online auction.
The vast collection of the singer's personal belongings, which remained untouched in his mansion in the western part of London for 30 years after his death in 1991, was preserved by his close friend, Mary Austin.
The 72-year-old Austin revealed in an interview with BBC in April that she decided to sell almost all the belongings to "close this very special chapter in my life" and to "put her affairs in order."
Until September 5, 2023, these items, previously owned by the singer, will be showcased at Sotheby's in the exhibition "Freddie Mercury – A World Of His Own."
The auction will include a variety of items, such as furniture, paintings, art pieces, valuable souvenirs from Japan, and iconic clothing worn by the legendary singer, including stage outfits from the 1970s and 1980s.
The bidding will take place at Sotheby's from September 6 to 8.
