MONEY MONEY MONEY FOR ABBA'S PIANO AT BONHAMS SALE

Musical instruments from stars of rock and pop music saw sensational prices at Bonhams 10 December Entertainment Memorabilia sale.

The piano which was used to compose almost all of ABBA's greatest hits between 1972-1979 today sold for £35,000 to an internet bidder.

The piano was originally acquired by the group to be used at a small cottage on the island of Viggsö in the Swedish archipelago, which is where the group wrote their songs. It remained in the cottage until 1979, having been used for the composition of most of the major ABBA hits in this period, including: Fernando, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, Money Money Money, Take a Chance on Me, The Name of the Game, Thank You for the Music, Voulez-Vous, I Have a Dream, Does Your Mother Know and Chiquitita.

- Two Rickenbacker guitars (one smashed and mounted on a display) played by Pete Townshend during The Who's 1989 25th anniversary tour sold for more than three times the top estimate, achieving £52,500

- One of the first Ed Sheeran items to come to public auction, a 'Green T' Fender Stratocaster, sold for double top estimate, achieving £12,500

- A rare Led Zeppelin concert poster soared above estimate to achieve £10,625

- A set of lyrics handwritten by Bob Marley sold for £10,000

Natalie Downing, Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia Specialist, said: "Musical instruments continue to command a premium in the collectors' market, evident in the excellent prices achieved at today's sale, where a musical instrument from The Who's Pete Townshend was the top lot in the sale."


NOTES FOR EDITORS

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to https://www.bonhams.com

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