With over 30,000 items and an original estimate between £7.6m and £11.3m, Freddie Mercury's auction at Sotheby's in London exceeded expectations, fetching £39.9m in just over a week.
The opening night alone set a record for the highest total in any celebrity sale. Notable sales include Mercury's crown and cloak, selling for £629,000, almost 10 times the estimate, and a Tiffany & Co moustache comb that went for £152,400, over 250 times its estimate. The auction's success (140,000 people visited Sotheby's to view the items) highlights the enduring appeal and legacy of the iconic Queen frontman.
Modus met the three exceptional women who helped bring this sale to the public and asked them about the challenges in discovering, valuing and selling the belongings of an international rock star who is so fondly remembered.
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Rachel Reilly is the senior director and head of valuation for Europe at Sotheby’s London. Sarah Hodgson and Carey Wallace are memorabilia specialists and co-founders of Wallace and Hodgson, who were engaged as consultants to work on the wardrobe section of the sale.
During their conversation with Ashley Stewart-Noble, head of content on Modus, they cover the initial phone call Rachel received from Mercury’s friend Mary Austen; how they earned the nickname “the glam rock detectives”; and why Mercury’s auction dwarfed the celebrity memorabilia auctions that had gone before him, including Marilyn Monroe and Eric Clapton.
