A GUITAR once owned by Surrey-based rock icon Eric Clapton is coming up for sale at a dedicated two-day entertainment memorabilia auction at Ewbank’s on May 21 and 22.
The guitar going under the hammer is a Gibson Kalamazoo, dating from the late 1930s, and has a pre-sale guide price of between £10,000 and £15,000. It has a sunburst finish, laminated body with checker binding, and a 19-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays.
It was purchased from Christies in New York by a private collector on 24 June 1999, as part of a special sale of Clapton’s guitars to raise money for the Crossroads Centre, a rehabilitation facility in Antigua he founded in the late 1990s.
The collector has owned the guitar for the past 20 years and stated: “Eric Clapton bought this guitar in Memphis primarily for collecting rather than playing purposes. He did tell us, however, that it was ‘around’ during the Pilgrim recording sessions.”
Clapton, who lives in Ewhurst, is one of the world’s most revered guitar players. He is the only person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times; once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of bands The Yardbirds and Cream.
Other lots sure to attract music fans include signed photos of The Beatles and a fan club newsletter signed by David Bowie.
Four colour machine-print photos of the individual members of The Beatles, taken in around 1964, each signed by the subjects at a later date, are valued between £2,000 and £4,000. Each is individually framed and glazed.
A copy of David Bowie’s official international fan cub newsletter from 1978, signed by Bowie in black pen, dedicated ‘For Steve! Many thanks David Bowie ‘78’ has an estimate of between £400 and £600. It comes with a signed certificate of authenticity, which states the autograph as one of the finest examples seen from 1978.
Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Star Wars are among the most popular entertainment franchises in the world, and Ewbank’s has items linked to all three going on sale in this auction.
An incredible needlework and embroidery panel showing a scene from Game of Thrones is going on sale with a guide price of between £2,500 and £3,500.
The unique embroidery was commissioned by the series makers HBO Home Entertainment to celebrate the DVD and Blu-ray launch of the fifth Game of Thrones series. It is known as the Hardhome Embroidery, and was produced by members of the Embroiderers’ Guild, the UK's leading educational charity promoting embroidery.
The scene chosen by HBO for the needlework is the battle between the White Walker army and the people of the Wildling town of Hardhome. The Night King, with his eyes illuminated by LED lights, is the central figure.
This huge three-panel installation took more than 140 people over 30,000 hours to make and displays a wide variety of traditional and cutting-edge needlework techniques.
An original poster advertising the 1977 Star Wars film, featuring artwork by Tom Chantrell, has an estimate of between £800 and £1,200; and a first-edition paperback of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, signed by JK Rowling in 2005, has been valued between £800 and £1,200.
To view the sales calendar and catalogues, and to place bids, visit www.ewbankauctions.co.uk. Any queries should be sent to [email protected].