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Memorabilia from the estate of legendary Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot was auctioned today by A.H. Wilkens in Toronto.
The auction included items from his career such as stage attire, awards, platinum and gold records, instruments including guitars from Lightfoot's lead guitarist Terry Clements, as well as rare photographs of Lightfoot with his contemporaries, and other personal items.
“We have had a tremendous amount of interest,” said Andrea Zeifman, head of operations and senior estimator at A.H. Wilkens. She noted that the auction house has seen interest from many new bidders, both from across Canada and around the world.
The most expensive lot was Lightfoot's performance guitar, which sold for the highest price of $380,000. According to Zeifman, he used this iconic guitar throughout his career and made a unique modification to the back of the instrument to reduce any noise with his signature belt buckle. It also has a smiley face sticker from his daughter.
Another eye-catching item was his authentic vintage tiger rug that he had in his bedroom at home. The final bid was $3,600.
The proceeds from the auction will go back to the estate, the auction house said. In addition, part of the funds will be invested in the Orillia Museum of Art and History, which houses permanent exhibition about a musician born in Orillia.
The fate of everything not sold today depends on the estate of the late singer-songwriter, the auction house said. Representatives told CBC News that discussions are ongoing about the possible donation of remaining items to other museums and charities.
“I've been a big Gordon Lightfoot fan all my life,” said Glenn Morgan, one of the auction's visitors. “I saw him in concert countless times, from Vancouver to Toronto… He was just a fantastic songwriter and a great Canadian.”
“I would certainly like to get some pieces of history, Gordon Lightfoot's history. It would mean a lot to me,” Morgan said.
Also present at the auction was Colin Cripps, musician and member of the band Blue Rodeo. He said it was “bittersweet” to see the items available there.
“Not only do you see in Gord the famous Gordon Lightfoot… but you also see all the early years of his development,” Cripps said.
“He was essentially a small-town kid, and you see that in the collection… It touched me too, because I feel like we all have that story in our own way, you know?”
The sale came just weeks after the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, an event Lightfoot chronicled in his song. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Among the items up for auction were documents given to Lightfoot containing details about the ship and its wreck. According to Zeifman, one of the takeaways from these documents is that Lightfoot's song actually helped bring about changes in maritime regulations by drawing attention to the human tragedy of the event.
Lightfoot died in 2023 in a Toronto hospital at the age of 84.
