USA: Whitney Houston's costumes and tour gear go up for sale at auction

She's got the stuff that you want. She's got the stuff that you need...and it was more than enough, to bring fans to Jersey on Tuesday (January 9), for the chance to buy pop princess Whitney Houston's belongings. Houston, one of the most celebrated pop artists of the 1980s and '90s, is being forced to sell off clothes, instruments and sound equipment to pay a debt to a warehouse storing the items. The diva shot to fame with her 1983 debut album and won several Grammy awards over the next decade. She largely retreated from performing after the release of her 1999 album, "My Love is Your Love," but surfaced alongside Brown in the tabloids, which have long reported details of their stormy marriage and drug use. The sale, which was ordered by the New Jersey Superior Court and held in a dark and musky warehouse in New Jersey, was handled by A.J. Willner Auctions. Steve Newmark, co-owner of A.J. Willner Auctions says that due to ongoing litigation, figures on the auction's proceeds will likely not be released . More than 400 lots were up for grabs including pianos, keyboards, organs, drums, designer gowns, bustiers and even Houston's undergarments. Among the more intriguing items are "Whitney's Throne" chair, a designer Lucite cocktail stand and a church pew. "The pianos have the highest ticket because they have the most value," Newburg says. In fact a clear acrylic grand piano made by Schimmel was bought for $20 thousand (USD.) But Newburg isn't ruling out the costumes and clothes bringing in big bucks either. He doesn't think any particular garment stands out, but as a whole, he believes the garments, shoes and hats will be a close second. Newburg adds that the designer hats, shoes and outfits from well-known names such as Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Pamela Dennis, Gianni Versace and Dolce & Gabbana are popular items among the women who attended the auction preview. Some fans came inside the dimly lit space before the auction began on Tuesday (January 9), to inspect goods one last time. Jon Recor who says he's a big Houston fan traveled from Montreal just for the auction. Recor plans to bid on some of the clothing. One standout item -- Houston's undergarments. "One of the things I kept hearing on TV and on the radio was that people want to buy her personal items such as bras and underwear and stuff like that. God only know what they would do with them. But if I do happen to win them what I would love to do is send them back to her because really the rightful owner should have them back," Recor explains. Not everyone at the auction was there to support Houston. Lenox Shillingford, who purchased the black Yamaha Grand piano for $12 thousand (USD) says the purchase was a good for his business, Rocket Rentals. "I rent musical instruments as a business and its a desirable grand piano and it had what you call midi in it so you can run other keyboards from it. So it was actually a good deal." Another man says he bought a Roland A70 synthesizer keyboard because "we got a good deal on it." Of course, die hard fans will spend their money for a piece of music history. Jon Roesch, a musician in a big band, bought a drum kit. "It's something that she took on tour with her, so now I can say I have one of Whitney Houston's drum sets," he says. The singer's soon to be ex-husband also had some items in the sale, including various record sales awards. There were also some lots that were less than glamorous and left people wondering if they would ultimately find a home -- an old barber's chair, an old mattress, and a cash register. But as the old adage says, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

ITN Source | January 11, 2007

Tags:. .handled. .either. .decade. .jersey. .fame