Million bids for Freddie Mercury's estate in London

2023-09-07 13:04:00

Previously, in a four and a half hour marathon, 59 items from the estate of singer Freddie Mercury had come under the hammer for the equivalent of more than 14 million euros. You can also bid on more than 1,000 lots online until next Wednesday.

“That was ‘A Kind Of Magic’ today,” enthused Franka Haiderer from the Sotheby’s board, alluding to the Queen song. But the first evening of the auction was dedicated to Queen’s world hit: “Bohemian Rhapsody”. For a silver snake bracelet, which Mercury, who died in 1991, had worn in the music video, the bids came every second and soon exceeded expectations. In the end, the jewel fetched the equivalent of around 813,000 euros (698,500 pounds) – almost a hundred times the estimated value.

Bidders from 61 countries and 1,400 items

An old sheet of paper with Mercury’s handwritten notes for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has sold for a whopping €1.6million (£1.38million). Drafts for other songs, including “We Are The Champions” and “Don’t Stop Me Now” also achieved hundreds of thousands of euros. The highest bid of the evening was the baby grand piano on which Mercury had composed “Bohemian Rhapsody” and many other songs. The Yamaha G2 Baby Grand is changing hands for around two million euros (£1.74 million).

Mercury’s Yamaha G-2 piano on which he composed many songs.
Image: DANIEL LEAL (AFP)

Euphoric applause erupted in the auction room when the gavel fell. Auctioneer and Sotheby’s Chairman Oliver Barker, who constantly animated the bidders with great perseverance, was enthusiastic afterwards. “Tonight, Freddie mania gripped London,” Barker said. “And the world.” Bidders from 61 countries had registered. Around 2,000 people took part online.

The approximately 1,400 items that will be auctioned until Wednesday come from Freddie Mercury’s private home in London, the “Garden Lodge”. The singer had bequeathed her to his longtime girlfriend Mary Austin (72), who is now separating from almost everything. A portion of the proceeds will go to charitable foundations, including the Mercury Phoenix Trust. Austin wrote in the foreword to a book on the auction that Mercury himself had regularly bought things at Sotheby’s, so an auction was entirely in his spirit.

Band member shaken – fans fascinated

But not everyone is enthusiastic. Queen guitarist Brian May spoke to Instagram shortly before the auction. The fact that Freddie Mercury’s “most intimate personal items and writings” go under the hammer and are “scattered forever” is a problem for the 76-year-old. “I can’t watch this,” May wrote. “It’s too sad for us, his closest friends and family.”

For many fans, on the other hand, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into their idol’s private life. Sotheby’s had previously presented the entire estate in an exhibition. 140,000 people came to see the impressive collection of art, crockery, fine furniture, costumes and all kinds of expensive items. “Our goal was to show Freddie’s life, his private and his public life,” says board member Franka Haiderer.

“He belongs to the whole world”

According to Haiderer, everyone should now have the opportunity to “purchase a piece of Freddie”. A Brazilian entrepreneur and Queen fan bought the crown and cape worn by Mercury on the Magic Tour and the last Queen concert at Knebworth in 1986 for around 740 million euros (635 million pounds). “When people say that Freddie belongs to Great Britain, I think that’s a misunderstanding,” said the new owner. “He belongs to the whole world.”