Kath at RR here. As a lifelong Prince fan, I will attest to my obsession with him. From his scandalous early raunch, to his mercurial rise surrounding “Purple Rain,” through his bouts fighting the corporate music machine, to his “Emancipation” and continual rebirth – Prince had me “Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic” with him for almost four decades.
His was my first concert, during the “Purple Rain” tour. The ticket said “wear something purple” – like I needed to be told. My friend Sue and I had to take turns sleeping in her van, so one of us could stay in line overnight to be among the first to buy tickets the morning they went on sale. Ah, the good old, pre-internet days…
A night of excitement
I’m clearly not alone in my Prince-iphilia. When we held a special Prince auction Sept. 27, 2017, it garnered lots of press coverage in major media like in Rolling Stone magazine, on television, at www.prince.org … rapper Common even Tweeted about it.
We were astounded (but not surprised) that sales were triple what we predicted. His yellow boots went for $75k (six times the estimate); his all-access pass from when he toured with Rick James in 1980 sold for $60k; a rare “Camille” album was bought for $59k; and Prince’s “Purple Rain” handwritten music enhancements notes achieved a price of $51k.
Prince’s inner circle
Our consignors were part of Prince’s carefully guarded inner circle, and RR was honored to curate their memories of their time with him. From one-time girlfriend Jackie Swanson, to costume designer Helen Hiatt, to Prince’s album designer Michael Van Huffel, we had collaborators, personal assistants and others lucky enough to bask in his Purple Majesty. We were pleased to receive their post-auction positive reviews of their experience.
One of our consignors was Prince’s former fiancee, Susannah Melvoin. Her intimate collection of items from her life with Prince featured their home decor — a Prince personally owned lamp and shade sold for $5,300 — as well as Prince’s “Under the Cherry Moon” personal notebook with extensive handwritten comments, which sold for nearly $45k.
I’m excited we’re planning our next Prince auction for Feb. 2018. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to remember his boundless talent and “Lovesexy” appeal. My heart will always be purple for him.
“The Prince Estate is not affiliated, associated, or connected with RR Auction or this auction, nor has it endorsed, authenticated or sponsored the items available for auction. Further, The Prince Estate has not licensed any of its intellectual property to RR Auction.”