The Results of the Christie’s New York Sale Revealed

New York – Last Wednesday, February 28th, Christie’s concluded The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road, a series of sales comprising more than 900 objects celebrating Elton John’s great eye for collecting and the impact the city of Atlanta had on his life. In total the collection brought in $20,537,842, well in excess of the low estimate of $10 million. In total, the full collection realized 200% against the low estimate and 73% of lots sold above their high estimate. In an interesting  turn of events, 47% of the bidders participating in the sale were new to Christie’s with 86% of the winning bids placed online.

Midtown Manhattan was even more exciting than usual as The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road became a worldwide sensation, drawing more than 9,000 visitors to Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries, who were eager to pay tribute to Elton John from around the globe, from the United Kingdom to Australia. More than 450,000 collectors and fans browsed the sales online in the weeks leading up to the auctions and Christie’s livestream auction attracted nearly 1 million views from around the globe.

Spectacular pieces included a Rolex Daytona Wristwatch with a Leopard-print Dial, circa 2001, that sold for $176,400, surpassing its low estimate of $40,000 and setting a world auction record for a watch. Elton John’s cherished 1990 Bentley Continental with its license plates registered in Nice, France, garnered exceptional attention, sparking lively bidding from 24 participants online, with additional bidders over the phone and in person. Ultimately, the car sold for $441,000 to a phone bidder, spectacularly surpassing its low estimate of $25,000. Meanwhile Richard Avedon’s stunning and world renowned photograph of Natassja Kinski and the Serpent, Los Angeles, California, June 14th, 1981 went under the hammer at US$151,200.

The glorious show of the objects that preceded the sale was in and of itself worthy of a museum exhibition. It underscored Sir Elton John’s impeccable taste in myriad mediums ranging from art to decoration, clothing, watches, jewelry and more. 

“It was a great honor for Christie’s to have been entrusted with the auction of the contents of Elton John’s Atlanta home. The collection was assembled over 30 years in an American city that meant so much to Elton John and his family. Beyond including artistic and personal treasures the sale cemented the cultural legacy of one of the world’s most iconic figures. It was an absolute privilege to present these objects to the thousands of fans and collectors who visited our galleries, enabling us to celebrate both Elton John’s exceptional eye as a collector and the vibrant chapter Atlanta played in his life,” said Bonnie Brennan, President of Christie’s Americas. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.christies.com

See also: https://thegourmetgazette.com/2024/02/10/moments-in-time-elton-john-time/