Clapton's Guitars Raise £1.3m for Crossroads

Guitars, amps and memorabilia from Eric Clapton's private collection were sold at Bonhams, New York, yesterday (March 10) raising an astonishing £1.3 million for his Crossroads drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Antigua.

Sale prices for most items far exceeded their estimated valuation with a 1979 Danny Ferrington three-quarter-sized guitar selling for £26,000 - roughly a hundred times more than the £185-£310 it was valued at.

The highest bid was for the hollow-bodied 1948 Gibson L-5P that sold for £51,000 - having been valued at £18,000. A replica of Clapton's famous 'Blackie' Fender Stratocaster - complete with the cigarette burns and scratches that featured on the original - commanded £19,000.

Left: Eric Clapton visits Mama Cass © Henry Diltz, taken from CALIFORNIA DREAMING