Donna Summer's Handwritten Lyrics For On the Radio Sold For $12,600
Manuscript notebook with sketches, lyris and list of Donna Summer songs, circa 1995
The Christie’s sale of The Collection of Donna Summer included examples of autographed handwritten lyrics.
Manuscript lyrics for On the Radio realized $12,600 against its low estimate of $3,000, and Queen for a day went for $15,120, 30 times its low estimate of $500. Additionally, a manuscript notebook with sketches, lyrics and a list of Summer's songs sold for $25,200 against its low estimate of $800.
Photographs offered in the sale also performed well, notably, Two Polaroids of Donna Summer, sold for $13,860, almost 28 times against its low estimate.
Peter Klarnet, Christie’s Senior Specialist, said: “These fantastic results are a testament to the continuing relevance of Donna Summer's music in popular culture and the deep and enduring passion of her multi-generational fan base.”
The top lot of the sale was Billboard Disco Forum VI Award Presented to Donna Summer, 1979, which made $47,880. Overall, the auction achieved a total of $907,956, a portion of the proceeds designated to support the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Save The Music Foundation, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
