Phil Collins is offering his personal archive for the King’s Trust’s 50th-anniversary auction, alongside donations from Paul McCartney, Elton John and Mick Jagger. Live Aid clothing, handwritten Genesis lyrics and artists’ personal objects will be sold in Los Angeles on November 19. Online bidding has opened, with proceeds supporting programmes for young people facing difficulties in education, training and access to employment.
The shirt and trousers Phil Collins wore at Wembley for Live Aid in 1985 are among the items collectors can now bid for. Online bidding opened on October 29 for the King’s Trust charity sale, with the musician’s archive at its centre and personal donations from fellow performers alongside it. The clothing connects a specific stage appearance with a new fundraising purpose decades after the concert took place.
Julien’s Auctions is organising the sale with the charity to mark 50 years of its work. Proceeds will support programmes helping young people gain skills and access work, education or training. The collection offered by the musician and Jill Collins combines concert memorabilia, instruments and material from different periods of his career. It is therefore broader than a sale devoted only to costumes from a single event.
The Live Aid outfit comprises a patterned short-sleeved shirt and khaki trousers, with a presale estimate of $60,000–$80,000. That range is an estimate rather than a completed sale price. Phil Collins famously performed in London and travelled by Concorde to play in Philadelphia on the same day. The garments being offered are associated with his Wembley appearance during that unusually extensive day of performances.
Another item is a two-page handwritten working lyric for Genesis’ “That’s All”. Alternative wording remains visible from the writing process before the song reached its final form. The estimate is $6,000–$8,000, offering potential buyers material connected with the development of the song itself. A pinstriped suit from his 1985 “Miami Vice” appearance in “Phil the Shill” carries an estimate of $2,500–$3,500.
The television costume adds an acting-related object alongside recordings and concert history. Phil Collins’ relationship with the King’s Trust extends back more than four decades, and he became its first ambassador. He has described supporting young people as among the most rewarding experiences of his life. Offering objects from his career gives that long association another practical form by directing the collection’s value towards the charity’s work.
Jill Collins organised and curated the archive, which she said mainly covers 1980–1995. Items had been retained from different projects and performances during that period. The charity’s anniversary, alongside four decades since Collins became its first ambassador, supplied the occasion to share the collection publicly. The sale combines access to material previously kept privately with fundraising for the young people supported by the organisation.
Paul McCartney is contributing black Chelsea boots worn for his performance at Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Made from non-animal material, the boots have heels and zips. The donation adds an object from his stage wardrobe tied to a particular public appearance, extending the sale beyond the Collins archive while preserving a clear link between the item and its performance history.
Elton John’s personal collection supplies a pair of Cutler and Gross sunglasses with pink lenses. Mick Jagger is offering a shirt created for touring and worn in concert. These donations bring clothing and accessories selected by the artists themselves into the same charity sale. Each contribution sits beside the main archive rather than being presented as part of Phil Collins’ own possessions or working materials.
Muse have a direct connection with the organisation’s support for emerging musicians. Early in their career, they received a grant towards their first sound equipment. They are now donating a signed Manson electric guitar from the “Drones” touring period. Their contribution connects the current fundraising effort with practical assistance they received as a young band, giving the auction another link to the purpose behind the charity’s programmes.
A signed Gibson Les Paul Junior from Yungblud is also among the instruments. Ringo Starr, Robert Plant and Brian May have contributed donations, bringing different generations of musicians into the anniversary initiative. The catalogue therefore extends across multiple careers and types of objects, while retaining the same charitable objective. The participation of these artists broadens the sale beyond the memorabilia connected with its central archive.
Film figures are participating as well. George and Amal Clooney are donating an Omega watch belonging to the actor. Al Pacino is offering items from “Lear Rex”, together with access to the event following its premiere, while Daniel Craig is also among the donors. These contributions place screen-related memorabilia alongside music history, expanding the range of material offered in support of the same fundraising programme.
A public presentation of selected items will take place at The Peninsula Beverly Hills on November 13, from 9am until noon local time. The auction of the Phil Collins archive and the other donations follows in Los Angeles on November 19. Online bids are already open, while the estimates attached to individual lots remain expectations to be tested by the sale rather than amounts already raised.
