Procol Harum stage outfit from the 1970s

Iconic naval tail-coat • donated by Gary Brooker

For sale – from The Commander's wardrobe

Proceeds from this sale will be divided – in compliance with Gary's wishes – 50/50 between the BJ Wilson fund, which benefits the great percussionist's family, and 'Beyond the Pale', helping to keep the website online and provide activities and opportunities for Procol fans. So please bid generously :-) Click here to place your bid to become the owner of this historic item

The 'naval' tailcoat (June 2015) as worn by Gary Brooker on stage on the Orchestral / Choral 1972 European tour and at other pre-Grand Hotel dates

The Commander wearing the coat in action (left) and at the microphone (right, with Barry Sinclair). Click pix to see source pages

The coat has no size markings. It's a good fit for our headless model here, who stands 5 feet 10 inches high and has a chest measurement of  38 inches
Please note that only the coat is offered for sale. The trousers, braces ('suspenders'), shirt and necktie are not offered for sale

The red anchor motif is on the right upper arm only, not the left. It faces the audience when you're playing the piano in typical concert position.
The metal buttons (two on each cuff, six on the coat itself) are adorned with a similar nautical emblem

The tail-coat's inside label shows it was made by Hart Schaffner and Marx (see here) and supplied by Clayton's of Detroit.

Your chance to look like Groucho

Pianists ... this is how the tailcoat looks in action

 As the photos show the tail-coat is in very serviceable condition for a forty-three year-old garment. However there are signs of wear as shewn below

We've included adult fingers to help show the size of the three holes we found, one in the tail and two on the upstage sleeve.
We've tinkered the exposure to make the holes visible in the interests of a fair sale. Under normal conditions
they are much less conspicuous. They are fixable by a capable seamstress or seamster
 

Click here to place your bid to become the owner of this historic item