An Auction Supreme

By Jeremy Caplan

Attics are emptying, it seems, as the families of jazz greats prepare to sell off heirlooms at Guernsey's in New York City on Feb. 20, in the biggest auction ever devoted to the genre. To raise money for jazz charities, museum curators will compete with online eBay bidders for some 430 lots, including these treasures. --By Jeremy Caplan

BENNY GOODMAN'S CLARINET The swing-era bandleader's 1974 Selmer B-flat clarinet comes with reeds he used. Proceeds go to his foundation for jazz scholarships. Estimate: $100,000

THELONIOUS MONK'S JACKET This custom-made smoking jacket with velvet lapels was one of Monk's favorites onstage and off. (Also for sale: his 1933 school notebook.) Estimate: $20,000

LIONEL HAMPTON'S VIBRAPHONE Originally a drummer, Hampton first experimented with the instrument during a 1930 studio session with Louis Armstrong. This is his custom-made brass model. Estimate: $40,000

MILES DAVIS' PAINTING Late in life the trumpeter got serious about the visual arts. Inspired by a movement of colorful art in Milan, Davis found acclaim as a painter in Spain and Japan. Estimate: $30,000

JOHN COLTRANE'S SHEET MUSIC This original manuscript of A Love Supreme shows how the saxophonist sketched out the 1964 classic. Estimate: $100,000