Image Credit: Freddie Mercury FB
LONDON, Aug 23: A piano and microphone used by Freddie Mercury and early drafts of his songwriting are expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds at auction on Oct 1 and 1.
The items are part of the Reinhold Mack Collection, an 82-lot archive offered by the German producer, who worked frequently with Queen, and his son Freddie Jr, Mercury’s only godson.
Among the collection is the Yamaha C3 Grand Piano from Munich’s Musicland Studios, where it was played extensively by Mercury while composing solo material and some of Queen’s biggest hits, including “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
It was also used during the recording of “The Game,” “Hot Space” and “The Works” and was played by artists including Leonard Cohen, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Donna Summer and Bryan Ferry.
It is considered the most significant Freddie Mercury-related artefact to come to market since the 2023 sale of his personal collection.
The piano carries a pre-sale estimate of £200,000 ($272,800) to £400,000.
Also featured is the AKG C414 EB microphone used to record Mercury’s lead and backing vocals at Musicland Studios.
It was favoured by Mack for capturing Mercury’s vocal range and distinctive layered harmonies and was used throughout the producer’s work with Queen.
The microphone is offered with its original Sennheiser bag and the red XLR cable used at Musicland Studios with a pre-sale estimate of £40,000 to £80,000.
The collection also includes early working lyrics handwritten by Mercury for “My Love Is Dangerous” and “Let’s Turn It On,” both from his 1985 debut solo album, “Mr. Bad Guy.”
Featuring alternate and unused lines that differ substantially from the finished songs, the drafts offer an insight into Mercury’s songwriting process.
The “My Love Is Dangerous” lyrics, headed with the earlier title “Dangerous,” also include handwritten chord arrangements on the reverse, while” Let’s Turn It On” appears under the shortened working title “Turn It On.”
The sets are estimated at £3,000 to £6,000 and £1,500 to £3,000 respectively.
Also up for auction is a teddy bear gifted by Mercury to the Mack family which is estimated at £800 to £1,600.
Before the Propstore auction, these items and several more will go on public display at a special free-to-enter exhibition at The Cumberland Hotel in London from September 23 to 27.
Mack said: “Freddie was not only a colleague and close friend; in many ways, he was part of our family.
“Away from the countless hours we spent creating music together at Musicland Studios, our home in Munich became a place where he could escape the pressures of fame, relax and simply be himself.
“To us, he was never a celebrity; he was Uncle Freddie—spending time with his godson Freddie Jr, playing table tennis with (his eldest son) Julian and celebrating family birthdays with us.
“We have carefully preserved these items for decades, not because of their value, but because of the memories they hold.
“We now feel the time has come for others to enjoy and appreciate them, and we hope they offer fans a connection not only to Freddie’s extraordinary artistry, but also to the warm, funny and kind-hearted man we were privileged to know.
“The memories we shared can never be auctioned; they will remain with our family forever.”
–BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa