FREDDIE MERCURY LYRICS NOTEBOOK SELLS FOR £277,000 AT AUCTION

A notebook containing handwritten song lyrics by Freddie Mercury has sold for £277,000, becoming the top-selling lot on the first day of Propstore's Music Live Auction. The lyrics date from recording sessions for Mercury's 1985 debut solo album, Mr. Bad Guy. They formed part of the Reinhold Mack Collection, an archive of personal gifts, recording memorabilia and handwritten material reflecting producer Reinhold Mack's friendship and creative partnership with the Queen frontman.

Other items from music history also achieved high prices at the same auction. An autographed Takamine FP460SC acoustic guitar owned and played by Noel Gallagher during Oasis's 1996 MTV Unplugged performance sold for £226,800, which the auction house said set a world record for an Oasis acoustic guitar. A black-and-gold military-style jacket worn by Michael Jackson during his Dangerous and HIStory eras, offered as part of the Omer Bhatti Collection, also sold for £226,800, having come directly from the Norwegian rapper and dancer to whom Jackson had given it. Jackson's sailor varsity jacket from the same collection sold for £56,700, while tinted prescription glasses worn by John Lennon during his separation from Yoko Ono sold for £126,000.

Further lots from the Reinhold Mack Collection also found buyers at the auction. A Yamaha C3 grand piano played by Mercury, Queen, the Rolling Stones and Elton John among other artists sold for £81,900. Mercury's stage-worn black wraparound embellished top and flared trousers, worn during his Sheer Heart Attack tour, sold for £75,600. The sales formed part of the first day of Propstore's Music Live Auction, with items drawn from several private collections tied to musicians including Queen, Oasis, Michael Jackson and John Lennon.