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George Michael's 'Faith' guitar up for auction

Danny FullbrookBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
News imageGetty Images George Michael performing on stage with an acoustic sunburst guitar, and wearing aviator-style Rayban sunglasses.Getty Images
Several replicas of the guitar were later made for the Faith tour

The guitar played by George Michael in the music video for Faith is expected to fetch £100,000 at auction.

The song was the title track of the Hertfordshire pop star's 1987 debut solo album, which sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

In the video, the former Wham! frontman wore a leather jacket and aviator sunglasses while playing the guitar, as part of an attempt to reinvent his image.

Auction House, Sworders, is putting the guitar under the hammer on 29 October, along with other items from the collection of his personal assistant, Siobhan Bailey, who died in 2014.

News imageSworders An acoustic guitar with a sunburst pattern, standing next to a hard, black guitar case with the words Rockabilly Rebel written on it in red and white capital letters. The case and guitar are against a black background.Sworders
The singer's original 1940s Gretsch Synchromatic 160 guitar is part of the auction

The collection features itineraries from Wham! and George Michael tours, including their 1985 visit to China, estimated to sell for between £300 and £600.

A gold disc celebrating 500,000 UK sales of Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go is estimated to sell for at least £200.

The complete archive is expected to sell for more than £200,000.

News imageSworders A woman sitting in an office with gold discs on the wall. She is sitting in front of a typewriter, surrounded by paper. There is a white landline phone in the foreground and a filing cabinet to the right of the picture.Sworders
Siobhan Bailey, who had been George Michael's personal assistant for more than 20 years, died from natural causes in 2014

Guy Schooling, chairman of Sworders, described the Faith guitar as the "jewel in the crown" of the collection.

He said: "The sale will offer avid fans around the globe, the chance to own not just pieces of music history, but objects that capture the spirit and ambition of one of pop's greatest and most-loved artists."

Earlier this year, the leather jacket Michael wore in the Faith video sold for £176,400 at an auction run by Hertfordshire-based Propstore.

The Ray-Ban sunglasses he wore on stage during the 1988 Faith Tour will be offered by Propstore in a two-day auction beginning on 1 October. They are expected to fetch at least £15,000.

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