Claire Tole-Moir is Head of Popular Culture at Bonhams, the world-famous auction house in London.

On a daily basis, she is in direct contact with some of the most iconic and culturally impactful works of modern art, sculpture, photography, film and artist memorabilia of the last century. 

So if you fancy a Man Ray photograph; a golden ticket from the original Charlie and The Chocolate Factory film; if you’ve got your eye on John Lennon’s mosaic swimming pool; or maybe Roger Moore’s silver Dupont cigar lighter, Claire and her team can make that happen for you. All you have to do is submit the winning bid. 

And then, there are the guitars…

Let me tell you about the guitars! We’re talking serious instruments owned by iconic musicians: The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Joy Division, Radiohead, Judas Priest, Jeff Beck, Slash, Peter Green...the list is ever-growing. 

Which to my mind begs the question: What’s it like, being responsible for the sale of guitars that have changed the history of modern music and impacted our global culture on a seismic level? 

Well, there’s only one way to find out! 

I met up with Claire Tole-Moir at Bonhams in Knightsbridge London. There was a palpable sense of excitement as it had recently been made public that Bonhams is about to handle the sale of one of the most immediately recognizable guitars on earth, Rory Gallagher’s extraordinary Fender Stratocaster! Yes, THAT STRAT!

I think you’ll agree that’s pretty awesome. So join us now at Bonhams in the heart of London to find out more. 

This episode is sponsored by Guitar Tech Courses - an online treasure trove of information created by British luthier James Collins which will guide you through the set up and maintenance of your beautiful instruments. Follow the affiliate link here and you can also support the podcast. https://www.guitartechcourses-academy.com/p/guitar-pro-setup/?affcode=1348382_dohdjpdf

Speaking of which - thank you to everyone who has used the Tip-Jar link to make a donation.

Life On The Fretboard is a one-man show: I do literally everything and your support is as encouraging as it is appreciated. If, and only if, you have enjoyed this episode then please do consider making a donation via this link https://michaelwattsguitar.com/tip-jars/4745

You can see more about this and future auctions at Bonhams right here: 

Bonhams Popular Culture https://www.bonhams.com/department/COL-ENT/popular-culture/

Bonhams Popular Culture Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bonhamspopularculture/

Claire Tole-More Instagram https://www.instagram.com/claire.tole.moir/

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