Elton John super fan auctions off 50-year-old flowers from star

Deborah Williams' collection of Elton John memorabilia is going under the hammer and expected to fetch about £500

An Elton John super fan is to auction off flowers given to her by the pop star nearly 50 years ago.

At the age of 16, Deborah Williams, from Wolverhampton, went to see her hero perform in 1976, when he threw red carnations to the audience.

After the blooms were snatched from her hand in the busy crowd, she says John reached down from the stage and pressed new flowers into her hand.

Now aged 64, Ms Williams, is selling the treasured items on 14 June.

The concert happened at the Wolverhampton Civic Halls and tickets had cost just £2.50, the semi-retired government consultant remembered.

She said: "I have treasured them ever since along with all my other Elton memorabilia. I pressed and dried the flowers and kept them inside a book of Elton John song lyrics.

The red carnations have been kept preserved in a book of lyrics since 1976

"They're very precious to me and that's why I am selling them now. I have no children and if anything happened to me I'm scared they would end up in a skip."

Ms Williams' treasure trove of memorabilia includes Elton John T-shirts, flyers, programmes, concert tickets, photos, badges and posters, including a scarce Elton John and Ray Cooper circular poster from 1977.

There is also a drumstick used by Elton's percussionist Ray Cooper at Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre in 1979.

The super fan last saw Elton John live in 2006

All the items will be offered for sale in three lots in Hansons Auctioneers' Music Memorabilia sale and are expected to make about £500.

For his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, the star will be performing in Birmingham at the Utilita Arena on 10 and 11 June.