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Music fans with deep pockets will have the chance to own true pieces of history thanks to Sotheby’s inaugural pop culture auction.
Featuring the likes of an Abbey Road piano used on an Amy Winehouse record to the guitars played on the original recording of Oasis’s Definitely Maybe, the pieces can also be enjoyed at a dedicated exhibition in the New Bond Street Galleries from 9 September.
The online sale will last for two weeks and feature items that are estimated to sell from £20,000 to as much as £300,000.
Sotheby’s said in a statement: “Estimated between £150,000 to £200,000 – a Steinway grand piano bought by Abbey Road Studios in 1973 directly from the manufacturer, and resident in Studio 3 where it was played in the recording of tracks by musical icons including Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga and remained until 2016 before being replaced by a newer model, will be up for auction.
Katherine Schofield, Head of Popular Culture, EMEA, Sotheby’s, said: “Following the sale of the famous Abbey Road Mk IV recording console in 2017, a contemporary of this grand piano from Abbey Road, we have seen huge appetite for equipment from these famed studios.
“It’s fascinating to see how long this Steinway was used in Studio 3 and featured on recordings by a wide range of artists, such as Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Paul Weller and Amy Winehouse on some of their seminal albums.”
The auction also features a VOX HDC-77 semi-hollow electric guitar that was played by none other than the late, great Prince, which has an estimated value of between £200,000 and £300,000.
Bidding on these incredible pieces of music history will start on 29 August.
This auction’s start date was chosen to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of the classic Oasis album Definitely Maybe.
Two guitars owned and used by Noel Gallagher in the recording of Definitely Maybe, which also feature on the cover of Oasis’ 1994 debut single ‘Supersonic’ will be included in the auction.
The auctioneer said: “Estimated at between £60,000 to £80,000, an Epiphone Les Paul Standard guitar which featured in both the music video and iconic cover artwork of Oasis’ debut single ‘Supersonic’ will be available for bidding alongside a 1980 Gibson Flying V Guitar previously owned by The Smith’s Johnny Marr and used by Noel Gallagher in the recording of Oasis’ 1994 track ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’, estimated at £20,000 [to] £30,000.
“Noel’s stage-played and owned Epiphone EA-250 Guitar, circa 1972-74, also estimated at between £20,000 [to] £30,000 completes the trio.”
Several items from John Lennon’s 1969 ‘Bed-in For Peace’ protest in Amsterdam will also be in n the action, which includes handwritten letters, and these are expected to sell for between £70,000 and £90,000.
A colourful pen drawing by the singer, meanwhile, comes with an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000.
The auction will come to a close on 9 September, which is when you can get a chance to see these iconic items with your own eyes before they are handed over to their new owners.
