Freddie Mercury memorabilia heads to auction

A piano and microphone used by Freddie Mercury, alongside early drafts of his songs, are expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds at auction in October.
The items form part of the Reinhold Mack Collection, an 82-lot archive offered by German producer Reinhold Mack, who frequently worked with Queen and his son Freddie Jr, Mercury’s only godson.
The collection includes the Yamaha C3 Grand Piano from Munich’s Musicland Studios, which Mercury played extensively while composing solo material and some of Queen’s biggest hits, including “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”.
It was also used to record “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.
Considered the most significant Mercury-related artefact to reach the market since the 2023 sale of his personal collection, the piano is estimated to fetch between £200,000 ($272,800) and £400,000.
Also included is the AKG C414 EB microphone used to record Mercury’s lead and backing vocals at Musicland Studios. Favoured by Mack for capturing the singer’s vocal range and layered harmonies, it comes with its original Sennheiser bag and the red XLR cable used at the studio. It is estimated at £40,000 to £80,000.
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”, will also be offered.
The drafts contain alternate and unused lines that differ substantially from the finished songs. The “My Love Is Dangerous” lyrics, headed with the earlier title “Dangerous”, 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. A teddy bear gifted by Mercury to the Mack family is expected to fetch £800 to £1,600.
Before the Propstore auction, the items will be displayed in a free exhibition at The Cumberland Hotel in London from September 23 to 27.
“Freddie was not only a colleague and close friend; in many ways, he was part of our family”, Mack said.
He recalled Mercury spending time at the family’s Munich home, where he could “escape the pressures of fame, relax and simply be himself”.
“We have carefully preserved these items for decades, not because of their value, but because of the memories they hold”, Mack said.
“The memories we shared can never be auctioned; they will remain with our family forever”.
The two-day auction will take place on October 1 and 2. — dpa