Would you like to own Elton’s boots? Seventies nostalgia is driving a boom in music memorabilia

Fans of Elton John have the chance to buy a memento of the pop star’s glittering career as a collection of his belongings goes under the hammer at Christie’s in New York on Wednesday.

Among the 900 items on offer is an ivory and gold jumpsuit, worn by the Tiny Dancer singer during one of his first performances in 1971, which is expected to fetch £9,700. The outfit was loaned out to make costumes for the star’s 2019 Rocketman biopic, starring Taron Egerton.

Those who fancy tinkering with Elton’s own ivories can take home his Yamaha grand piano, on which he is said to have written several of his Grammy Award-winning songs, for an estimated £39,000.

A pair of silver platform boots with red leather letters E and J on the sides, worn in the 1970s, are expected to fetch around £8,000.

Interest in 1970s music memorabilia is booming as investors realize they can own their own piece of performance history while enjoying a link to their favorite singer or band.

The Elton John sale is the latest in a series of high-profile auctions involving musicians including Freddie Mercury, Eric Clapton and Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts.

In September, 1,406 items from the Freddie Mercury: A World Of His Own auction were stolen by buyers from more than 50 countries, including Japan, Mexico and Brazil.

Auction house Sotheby’s says the £40 million sale ‘demonstrates the appeal and fascination that Freddie Mercury continues to exert today’.

Among the most sought-after items were a sheet of paper with the lyrics to the hit Don’t Stop Me Now, which sold for £317,500, and a solid silver mustache comb, expected to fetch £400, went for more than £under hammer. 150,000.

Claire Tole-Moir, from auction house Bonhams, says the 1970s is a great era to collect items from as it was a very important time for music.

“This was the decade when creativity and diversity flourished, pushing boundaries and creating eccentric melodies, costumes, dance routines and lyrics,” she says.

“Items associated with the musicians who were part of this central movement are considered important and therefore collectible.”

Martin Hughes, auctioneer at Wessex Auction Rooms, says the majority of music collectors are driven by nostalgia and their desire to recapture how they felt when they listened to an artist for the first time.

“Investing in music-related items is a real balancing act,” he says. ‘Clothing and general memorabilia from music icons will obviously have wider appeal and may be a safer long-term investment.’

Last year, 300 Fleetwood Mac contracts and letters documenting the band’s rise were sold at auction for more than £20,000.

The collection’s owner, Clifford Adams, worked as the group’s manager, agent and co-songwriter from 1967 to 1974. A letter from the band’s founder Peter Green explaining why he left the group achieved £2,000, while another bidder paid £460. his driver’s license.

Meanwhile, a set of sheets featuring the band’s performance sold for £4,400, beating the estimate of £400 to £600. Mr Hughes says paper items such as tickets or handbills are very popular because they were never designed as souvenirs.

‘Scarcity sells. “I had the great pleasure of selling a large private collection of music handbills, flyers and posters from major artists such as The Who, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac,” he says. ‘The seller said, ‘I didn’t think anyone would want them’, when in fact the collection sold for more than £60,000.’

How to Start Your Own Music Memorabilia Collection

If you want to start your own collection, you should first consider the popularity of the group or singer, advises Claire Howell, head of music and film at auctioneer Hansons.

“Artists like David Bowie still have high collectible value in a way that contemporary artists, including Taylor Swift, do not,” she says. “It’s amazing what people buy and what they want to own from a great musician. I once sold John Lennon’s car keys.’

You may even be lucky enough to have souvenirs in your home from going to concerts and buying records in the 1970s. An old Rolling Stones tour program and a ticket found at home could be worth up to £200, says Howell.

Meanwhile, the acetate discs used to test a single before it is released can be worth hundreds of pounds. An acetate of a David Bowie album can be worth up to £600, while a copy of the rock band T. Rex can sell for £750, Ms Howell says.

Be sure to check the provenance of any item owned or signed by an artist before making a purchase.

Mr Hughes said: ‘The world of forgeries is as prevalent in music memorabilia as it is in the art world. Buy things from reputable sources, like specialty auctions.”

Often items sold at auction come with a certificate to prove authenticity, but if you are unsure whether an item is genuine you can also contact the auction house.

If an item is mass-produced, such as a vinyl record or CD, consider its condition and rarity before making a purchase, Ms. Tole-Moir recommends. “Depending on your budget, try to buy the best one,” she says. “Do your research and see what has been on the market before and how prices have performed.”

An original copy of the Beatles’ White Album, donated to the British Heart Foundation charity shop, sold on eBay for £2,350.

The album was one of only 10,000 copies made and contains 30 songs, including Blackbird and Dear Prudence.

By comparison, the 50th anniversary edition of the same vinyl is worth less than £50.

But above all, buy things you like, she says. A record you listened to as a teenager may now only be worth a few euros, but it is priceless to you.