Ronnie James Dio Auction to Include Guitar, Artwork, Patchwork Jeans

A bevy of the late heavy-metal icon Ronnie James Dio‘s clothing and belongings will be auctioned at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe this fall. Items include his fantastical stage attire, a sticker-covered wardrobe road case, a painting by Barry Jackson that was used as the cover of Dio’s The Last in Line LP and a white Charvel guitar, among others. The sale, administered by Julien’s Auctions, will take place in person and online on September 14th and 15th.

Items in the auction, dubbed “Property From the Estate of Ronnie James Dio,” come from nearly all points of the singer’s career – when he fronted Ritchie Blackmore’s post–Deep Purple group Rainbow, when he replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath and when he embarked on a solo career fronting the titular band Dio. Highlights in the auction include jeans he wore with Rainbow that feature moon-and-stars patchwork (expected to go for between $2,000 and $4,000), gold sales plaques for some of his Rainbow albums ($600 – $800), a personalized hooded robe he wore backstage on Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules tour ($2,000 – $4,000) and Dio-era stage props such as an animatronic sphinx from his Last in Line tour ($2,000 – $4,000) and dragon’s head from the Sacred Heart tour ($3,000 – $5,000).

In a video released for the auction,Dio’s widow Wendy discussed a monogrammed robe Dio used during his tenure in Black Sabbath.

It also includes many of Dio’s instruments and gear, including the aforementioned guitar, which features a wizard painting on it ($3,000 – $5,000), and numerous items of clothing. A combo of a violet suede vest and red-leather shin guards that he wore onstage in 1985 is estimated to garner between $2,000 and $4,000. Julien’s expects the album cover painting to go for between $20,000 and $30,000.

“I am glad that Ronnie’s extensive collection of items will go to his fans, museums and collectors around the world to be displayed for all to see and enjoy,” Wendy Dio said in a statement. “These items are very special to me but I recognize the historical importance of anything to do with Ronnie and he would want his fans to be able to own, enjoy and see these items for many years to come.”