Around 20,000 items of Jimi Hendrix memorabilia are to be sold at what has been dubbed the world's biggest rock auction. According to the BBC, a portion of the £15m collection will be on show at the re-launched Marquee in London from 9 Sep. An auction will then be held in early 2005, after which another set of items will be put on display.
The collection, originally built up by an American Hendrix fan, includes tapes of early versions of the legendary musicians songs, hours of unseen video footage, contracts and poems. Also in the collection is a 1965 Fender Stratocaster guitar scratched by Hendrix's rings which is expected to fetch £250,000, while a Cherokee Indian jacket, reflecting Hendrix's roots, is thought to be worth £30,000.
The exhibition will be part of the launch proceedings for the new Marquee club which, as previously reported, will be set up on Leicester Square in what was until recently Home. Hendrix played at the Marquee back in its heyday when the club was based in nearby Wardour Street.