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Bassey's Bid To Tempt The Big Spenders From Mail on Sunday, By Laura Barton, Aug 10 2003

She has cut a glamorous and extravagant figure in showbusiness for half a century, so when Dame Shirley Bassey clears her wardrobe, the world can expect something special.

Christie's will auction a collection of 50 of her glittering stage gowns a week tomorrow.

Highlights include a 1955 gown that weighs almost a stone and another she wore in 1963 when she sang for President Kennedy on the anniversary of his inauguration.

But the most popular lot is likely to be the gold and silver sequinned gown associated with one of her biggest hits, the title song from the 1964 James Bond film, Goldfinger. The auction is expected to raise about 50,000, which will be split between two of the singer's favourite charities.

On September 30, items owned by another entertainer renowned for extravagant stage costumes go on sale.

Sotheby's expects to raise 800,000 for Sir Elton John when it auctions items from his home in Holland Park, west London.

He is no stranger to auctions in 1988, nearly 2,000 lots from his Old Windsor estate in Berkshire went under the hammer, and in 2001, he sold 20 cars for almost 2 million.

Explaining his decision to sell more possessions, he says: 'I wanted the opportunity to display more contemporary art in one of my UK homes. The obvious choice was to remodel my Holland Park home to give me more scope for exhibiting this collection.' Included in the 400 lots are fine glass, furniture, paintings and bronzes.

Among a group of early 16th and 17th Century pictures is a Portrait Of A Lady With Her Son, attributed to Edward Bower, which is estimated at 20,000-30,000, and a Portrait Of Elizabeth Honeywood from the circle of William Larkin, which is estimated at 30,000-40,000.

A bronze sculpture of Alexander the Great on horseback, cast by the Neapolitan foundry Sabatino de Angelis, is estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 and stands alongside sculptures of a number of other great leaders.

It will be interesting to see how successful the auctions are as most celebrity memorabilia commands a high price only after a star has died.

In 1999, Christie's in New York sold Marilyn Monroe's white baby grand piano to pop singer Mariah Carey for $662,500 (414,000) against a $15,000 estimate. The same year, a piano bought by Elvis Presley for $281.75 in 1956 sold for $90,000, though another has since made $685,000.

Arguably one of the most famous pianos sold in recent years was the one on which John Lennon wrote his hit Imagine. It was bought by pop star George Michael for 1.45 million.

In May, Sotheby's sold the collection of the late John Entwistle, which included a variety of items spanning his career with The Who.

A 1958 Gibson Explorer guitar realised 95,200 against a 50,000 to 70,000 estimate. But that was overshadowed by a Fender Precision bass guitar, which had an estimate of 5,000 to 7,000 yet sold for 62,400.

Sotheby's specialist Stephen Maycock says: 'The sale reflected not only what a wonderful and well-respected musician Entwistle was, but also the fact that he was a great collector with an avid following.

'All elements of the sale were highly sought after, including his magnificent group of 33 castings of game fish, which fetched more than 22,000.' WHILE the Shirley Bassey and Elton John sales feature tasteful selections, this is not the case with all celebrity auctions. There have been attempts to sell a blood-splattered John Lennon autograph, signed moments before he was shot.

And last month, a collector in America tried to sell what was claimed to be one of Elvis's teeth. There were no takers.

Also, not all celebrities are keen to cash in on their fame or see others do so. Sir Paul McCartney saw his birth certificate sell for 45,900 in 1997, but took legal action to stop Bonhams selling his hand-written manuscript for Penny Lane.

Christie's holds the Dame Shirley Bassey: 50 Years of Glittering Gowns auction on September 18 at 8 King Street, London SW1Y 6QT. Call 020 7839 9060.

© Associated Newspapers 2003

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