Elton John Cleans House With Auction

LONDON — Rock star Elton John, cleaning up his cluttered house, put his $6-million collection of glitz and glamour on the auction block today.

The first of a four-day, 2,000-item “garage sale” at Sotheby’s featured the flamboyant stage costumes that John, 41, says he is “too old” to wear, among them a silver-sequined Statue of Liberty.

His jewelry collection, which one critic described as mixing the tastes of “a conservative duchess and a mid-’30s flapper,” also was offered.

Bidding was running well ahead of the $5.1 million predicted by auctioneers, Sotheby’s said. For example, a blue-denim cushion embroidered with “Man Across the Water” had an estimated value of $170 but drew more than $5,000.

His Wurlitzer jukebox, named after his hit song “Capt. Fantastic,” fetched nearly $30,000 and an English boot manufacturer paid $20,000 for the 5-foot-tall fiberglass boots he wore in the movie “Tommy.” Personalized car license plates garnered $4,000.

The singer, songwriter and pianist, who is in the United States preparing for a tour, said in an interview before the sale that he decided to sell off his collection “basically because my house was so crowded” that it had become an expensive warehouse.”

He said he also wanted to change his public persona.

“I’m changing direction now,” John said. “I’m doing this so we can start again. I’m going to be ultramodern.”