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Prince items from Susannah Melvoin and others go up for auction

by Hanna Bubser

September 22, 2017

Yet another Prince auction is upon us, and this roundup includes items once belonging to Susannah Melvoin, who was long close to Prince and is sister to Wendy Melvoin of the Revolution. Other offerings include items from Prince's former horn player Eric Leeds, assistant tour manager Gwen Leeds, and costume designer Helen Hiatt.

Currently, it seems that the item stirring the most interest is a laminated backstage pass Prince used during Rick James's 1980 tour, on which he was an opening act. The bid, as of now, is at $1,504.

RR Auction, the group in charge of selling this particular set of goods, posted a podcast on SoundCloud, featuring Melvoin, to promote the items. In the podcast, Melvoin defends her right to sell the items. She also dives into some of her personal offerings in the auction, which include jewelry that Prince often wore on stage, handwritten notes from the star (including note cards that Prince used in a marriage proposal to Melvoin). and even a glitter wand.

Of the over 200 items up for grabs, there are a few more that stand out:

Prince's personally owned (and used) makeup compact ($324)

A Hello Kitty calculator, a gift from a fan in the '80s (currently unopened on bids)

Prince's 1999 Playboy HOF Award ($949)

A rather extravagant lamp ($1,026)

Purple Rain tour jacket ($656)

Check out the entire listing here.

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.