George Michael's Faith guitar sells for £234,480 despite family row
By Tanishq BhattEntertainment Writer, Peepals Global
File photo: Ratracewi (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
George Michael's guitar from the 1987 Faith video sold for £234,480 with fees at Sworders on October 29, 2026, as his late assistant's family objected.
What Happened
The acoustic guitar George Michael played in the 1987 music video for "Faith" was sold at auction in England on Thursday, October 29, 2026 for £234,480 including fees, far above its pre-sale estimate. The auction house Sworders sold it to an anonymous UK-based buyer bidding online. The sale went ahead despite objections from the family of Siobhan Bailey, the singer's former personal assistant, from whose collection the guitar came.
Key Facts
- Item: the Gretsch acoustic guitar seen in the video for "Faith", the title song of George Michael's 1987 album.
- Price: £234,480 including fees, according to reports of the result; US reports put the figure at about 240,000 dollars, and the hammer price before fees was reported as £180,000.
- Estimate: before the sale the guitar was expected to fetch between £60,000 and £120,000.
- Sale: "Faith & Fame: A Personal George Michael Collection", run by Sworders on October 29, with more than 30 items.
- Origin: the items belonged to Siobhan Bailey, who worked as Michael's personal assistant and died in 2014; the singer had given her the guitar as a gift.
- Dispute: Bailey's brother, Gerard Bailey, called the sale "wholly unethical" and had asked the auction house to cancel it; the collection was consigned by her widower, Ian Belcher, according to reports.
Why It Matters
"Faith" was one of the defining pop songs of the late 1980s. The album of the same name launched George Michael's solo career after Wham!, and the video, with its leather jacket, jeans and guitar, became one of the best-known images of the decade. Objects tied to such moments draw collectors from around the world, and this result, roughly double the top of the estimate, shows how strong demand remains for memorabilia from major pop stars.
Timing helped. The sale came close to the tenth anniversary of Michael's death and alongside a new film, George Michael: The Faith Tour, which has renewed interest in that period of his career. Auction houses often see higher prices when an anniversary or a new release puts an artist back in the news.
The family row raises a common question in the memorabilia trade: who should decide the fate of gifts that a star gave to the people around them, once those people have died. Relatives may feel the wishes of the original recipient were ignored. Gerard Bailey said his sister would never have agreed to the sale. Sworders said it was "not well-placed to comment on a family matter" and that such disputes are not uncommon in the auction business. No court action over the sale has been reported.
For Indian fans and collectors, the result is a reminder of how large the global market for music memorabilia has become, and of how online bidding now lets buyers anywhere take part in a sale held in England.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Pre-sale estimate | £60,000 to £120,000 |
| Reported hammer price | £180,000 |
| Price including fees | £234,480 |
| Items in the sale | More than 30 |
Impact
Short-term: The price sets a new benchmark for George Michael items and will draw attention to other objects from his career that come up for sale, especially around the tenth anniversary of his death.
Long-term: Disputes like this one may push auction houses to ask for clearer evidence of the wishes of the original owners when selling personal gifts from celebrities, though no legal challenge to this sale has been reported.
Who is affected: The Bailey family and the seller; collectors of music memorabilia; George Michael's fans worldwide; and auction houses that handle celebrity items.
Key Takeaway
George Michael's "Faith" guitar sold for £234,480 including fees on October 29, 2026, about double its top estimate, despite a family's objection to the sale.
Questions and Answers
How much did George Michael's Faith guitar sell for?
It sold for £234,480 including fees at Sworders on October 29, 2026, about 240,000 US dollars. The hammer price before fees was reported as £180,000, against an estimate of £60,000 to £120,000.
Who owned the guitar before the auction?
George Michael gave it to his personal assistant, Siobhan Bailey, who died in 2014. Her collection was put up for sale by her widower, according to her brother.
Why did the George Michael auction cause a row?
Siobhan Bailey's brother, Gerard Bailey, said she would never have agreed to the sale and called it "wholly unethical". The auction house said it could not comment on a family matter and went ahead.
Who bought the guitar?
The buyer has not been named. Reports describe them as an anonymous UK-based bidder who took part online.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Tanishq Bhatt, Entertainment WriterCovers Entertainment and more for Peepals Global. All stories by Tanishq Bhatt
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Tanishq Bhatt is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
