In 1964, Leonard Cohen Wrote A Letter to A Friend Explaining That He'd Sold What He Called His Manuscript “Junk” to the University of Toronto, Who Shelled Out $ 3,850 for the collection. How Times Have Changed, Espencially in The Rock Memorabilia World. Next Month, an auction of Cohen's Working Drafts, Correspondence and Other Itms Will includes that letter letter, Which auction organizers predict will go for at Least Double that Amount, If Not More.
Sales of Pop Star Items, Alive OR Dead, are Increationly Commonplace. In 2019, Christie's auctioned off a Collection of 50 Love Letters from Cohen to his Muse, Marianne Ihlen. But in General, Cohen Items Rarely Pop Up on the Memorabilia Circuit. That Makes Next Month's Sale – “Leonard Cohen: The Collection of Aviva Layton, Anjani Thomas & More,” Set for Feb. 28 by Julien's Auctions – Seemingly Live Up to Its Description as “The Largest Group of Privatelo Held Collection of the Legendary Poet , Singer and Songwriter's Archival Material and Personal Effects Ever to as to Auction. ”
The auction is centered Around Items Contributed by Thomas, Cohen's One-Time Romantic and Creative Partner, and Layton, A Longtime Close Friend Who Saw Cohen Just A Few Weeks Before His Death.
The Auction Will includes Drafts of Lyrics and Poems, One of Cohen's Hats, Jewelry He Gave As Gifts, and Even Piece of His Hair. “The [official Cohen] Archives VacuUMED UP Anything That Came in The Market Rather Quickly, “Thomas Says. “So there isn't a Lot Available, Nor Will There Be. I know this is one of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. “
Courtesy of Julien's Auctions
Layton and Her Late Ex-Husband, Canadian Poet Irving Layton, First Met Cohen in the Mid-1950s. One of Layon's Family Members Discovered Cohen's Black Fisherman Cap in A Box in Her Forment Montreal Home. The Hat Dates Back to Cohen's Years in Greece, and the Times The LayTons would Visit Him There.
“Leonard was Wearing His Cap and Irving Said, 'I Write Poetry, but I’d like to writs and make tons of Money Like You,'” Layton Recalls. “And Leonard Said, 'I'm Got This Cap, It's a Magic Cap. I've Written All My Early Songs Wearing This Cap. I'm going to give it to you and you'll be able to write songs and make a lot of money too. ' UNFORTUNATELY IT ONLY Seemed to Work for Leonard. ”
Layton's Contributions Also includes Playfully ObScene Drawing That Cohen Faxed to Her, The Photograph of Ihlen Used On The Back Cover of Cohen's Songs From A Roomand the key to an entrance of cohen's apartment on the Greek Island of Hydra. (“The Keys Have long Been Replaced, “She Says, To Reassure Its Current Occupants.)
Thomas-Who Sang Backup On Cohen's Original Version of “Hallelujah” and Worked With Him As a Backup Singer, Keyboardist and Co-Sngwriter-is offering up, Among Other items, at 76-Page Green APICA Notebook from 2007 That She and Cohen Shared . Inside Are Cohen's Handwritten Drafts for the Songs “It's Torn” and “Treaty,” As Well As Some “Personal Reflexions.” The Notebook Also Includes A Ledger of Jokey Bets Thomas and Cohen would make, and How Much They Owed Each Other.
Courtesy of Julien's Auctions
“We'd Bet on Things like when or Not Phil Spector would go to jail, and I Said He would,” Thomas Says. “We use to bet on Everything. Obschene Amounts of Money. Luckily for Him, I Never Colck on it. “
Thomas is Also Selling a Poem Cohen Gave to Her for Her 50th Birthday. “I CRRID When he Wrote That, and then he cried Because i Cried,” She Says. “So it was a Sweet Emotional Experience to Read. It very accurally describes our relationship. ”
The Auction Also Includes What's Described As a “Gold-Ton Oval Metal Locket With Faux Green Stones and Pearls On A Matching Green Stone and Pearl Chain. That locket Also Contains a Piece of Cohen's Hair. “We were cutting his hair one day, and he Had Just Given Me a locket for my birthday,” Thomas Recalls. “And the Thought it was a Traditional Thing to Put a Snippet of Hair in Locket. It's a very old-times-cumbal. “
Courtesy of Julien's Auctions
Other items in the auction – Culled from Sources Apart from Thomas and Layton – Includes Manuscript Page of Cohen's 1961 Novel The Spice-Box of Earth With a “Handwritten revision,” an unpublished poem thought to be the inspiration for “bird on a wire,” and a 1964 letter in which he grook about the greek polymer.
Given How Little Cohen Material Has Been Auctioned Off, The Sale Will Be Also A Barometer of How Much Cohen's Legend Has Grown Since His Death in 2016. Christie's 2019 Auction of the Letters to Ihlen Netted a Total of $ 876,000. The notebook in Thomas' possession is alone estimated to go for between $ 100,000 and $ 150,000.
“If I Had Known Leonard Was Going to turn into 'Leonard Cohen,' I would have Have Had 10 Times More The Amount,” Layton Jokes. “Luckily, i have the Things i have. Leonard was a prolific gift-giver. But I'm 91 Going on 91, and it was time to let it go. “