An auction of soul legend James Brown’s belongings has raised over $850,000, falling short of expectations.

Brown’s former business managers, Buddy Dallas and Alford Bradley, had tried to halt the auction after learning the cash raised would go to his estate, but a judge ruled on Monday that the sale could go ahead.

The top lot was a black cape embroidered in metallic thread with the words James Brown, which fetched $47,500, more than double its estimate.

The leader of the Late Show with David Letterman’s band, Paul Shaffer, bid $32,500 to win a medical bracelet which stated that Brown was a diabetic.

Despite the lower-than-expected results, Christie’s pop culture specialist Simeon Lipman noted a packed sale room in which “relics from his public and private persona were sought after by collectors as demonstrated by the top selling items, which ranged from his iconic stage-worn capes and instruments, to his living room furniture and a medical ID bracelet”.

Brown on Christmas Day in 2006 aged 73.

Posted: 07|18|08 at 8:38 am. Filed under: Auction News.