Video: A first peek as Jimmy Savile’s life goes under the hammer

More than 500 lots will be offered for sale at the appropriately-named Savile Hall in Leeds’s Royal Armouries. They are expected to raise as much as £300,000 for causes close to the heart of the late disc jockey. Among the highlights are items of elaborate jewellery amassed by Sir Jimmy at his homes in Leeds and Scarbroough. One, a nine carat gold and diamond identity bracelet, is expected to fetch up to £8,000. Also open for bids are dozens of items of outlandish clothing, including the colourful string vests and tracksuits favoured by the former Jim’ll Fix It presenter, who died in Leeds last year. A gold lame Nike tracksuit has a guide price of up to £300. There are also many pieces of furniture from Sir Jimmy’s homes, including kitsch 1970s-style sofas, sideboards and coffee tables, plus boxes of his trademark cigars and greetings cards signed by members of the royal family. Music fans will be drawn to Sir Jimmy’s collection of 45rpm records, but a picture of the DJ shaking hands with a young Elvis Presley in the early Sixties, which appears in the auctioneers’ glossy catalogue, is not for sale. Sir Jimmy’s niece, Amanda Mckenna, looked round the collection today with mixed feelings. She said: “It’s inevitable and I’ve had eight months to get used to it since he passed away and I think it’s great that it’s all going to charity. “I think it’s a shame his awards are being sold - it would have been nice to have kept those - but as long as the money goes to charity and it’s spent well, which I’m sure it will be, then that’s great.” Ms Mckenna said her favourite items had personal connections, including a white swivel chair she played on as a child in Sir Jimmy’s flat in Scarborough. “There’s lots of memories in lots of things,” she said. “It’s bitter-sweet but it’s what he wanted and that’s what counts.” Sir Jimmy’s childhood friend, Joseph Barker, was also looking round the lots. He was particularly interested in the bikes as he recalled teenage cycling trips to Scotland with his friend. Mr Barker said: “It’s a bit upsetting going round looking at things. “You keep thinking he’s going to walk in.” Sir Jimmy died just before his 85th birthday last year. He is thought to have raised more than £40 million for charity in his life. Will Richards, from auctioneers Dreweatts, said the collection was incredible and almost impossible to value. He said Sir Jimmy’s immaculate 2002 Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible, which has just 4,420 miles on the clock, carries a conservative sale estimate of £60,000 to £90,000. The DJ nicknamed his beloved car “The Beast” and it still bears his personal registration number, JS 247. Mr Richards said the famous Jim’ll Fix It chair is expected to fetch £8,000 to £12,000. “The estimates are pure guesses, really,” he said. “Everyone can jump in and have a go. “Hopefully, all his fans will have a piece of Sir Jimmy at a price they can afford.” The lots are open for public viewing from Thursday to Sunday at the Royal Armouries, with the auction beginning on Monday at 10.30.