Sotheby’s may be best known for the fine art and luxury items it sells at auction, but the company is also getting into pop-culture memorabilia. Later this month, the auction house will hold its first pop-culture sale in London, running from August 29 to September 12. Including lots spanning music to movies, the auction is headlined by a Vox HDC-77 semi-hollow electric guitar played by Prince , estimated to fetch up to $383,000.
The so-called “blackburst” guitar was used by the iconic musician when he was touring with 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in the mid-2010s. Prince busted it out during an appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, as well as in London, Canada, and the United States. A similarly exciting piece of music history is being brought to auction: a Steinway grand piano that sat in Studio 3 at Abbey Road Studios.
Expected to hammer down for up to $255,000, the piano was bought by the studio in 1973, and it was used by music legends until it was replaced by a newer model in 2016. “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,” Katherine Schofield, the head of popular culture at Sotheby’s, said in a statement. “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.
” Elsewhere, Oasis fans will find a trio of guitars used by Noel Gallagher: an Epiphone Les Paul Standard used in the music video for “Supersonic” ($76,500 to $102,000), a 1980 Gibson Flying V used in the recording of “Cigarettes & Alcohol” ($25,500 to $38,000), and an Epiphone EA-250 that Gallagher played onstage ($25,500 to $38,000). Plus, movie buffs can bid on pieces such as an original pair of red ballet slippers from The Red Shoes , a gladiator costume from the upcoming Gladiator sequel, and two Omega watches donated by the producer of the James Bond franchise ($51,000 to $76,500)..
