Christie’s is set to auction two of the renowned collections owned by the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, uDiscover Music reports.
The two-part auction, titled “Charlie Watts: Gentleman, Collector, Rolling Stone – Literature and Jazz,” will feature his collections of first edition books and jazz memorabilia.
The live sale will take place at Christie’s London headquarters on September 28, while an online sale will be open for bidding from September 15-29.
In total, more than 500 lots will be on offer, with estimates ranging from £800 to £300,000. The auction will feature a significant, inscribed copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, inscribed inside the front cover to ‘the original Gatsby,’ MGM screenwriter Harold Goldman. The book will have an estimate of £200,000-£300,000.
Other items in the auction include presentation inscriptions and the rarest obtainable editions of books by such writers as George Orwell, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, P.G. Wodehouse, and James Joyce. Watts’ collection of jazz recordings and memorabilia has a particular focus on one of his greatest heroes, Charlie Parker, including Parker’s Associated Musicians Membership Card, his contracts for the Alto Break sessions, and a pair of Down Beat awards from 1952. The auction will also feature Irving Berlin’s scores for “Songs from Top Hat” and “Songs from Follow the Fleet,” inscribed to Ginger Rogers, and two inscribed piano scores by ‘Bix’ Beiderbecke.
