Russell Crowe 'divorce auction': Memorabilia sold in Sydney

Image copyright EPA

It's his 54th birthday, and it would have been his 15th wedding anniversary, so it was time to clear out "stuff".

Actor Russell Crowe has held his "Art of Divorce" auction - a sort of parting of the wares - in Sydney. He separated from singer Danielle Spencer in 2012.

His torso armour from Gladiator smashed expectations, making A$125,000 ($95,000; £68,000) and his Master and Commander violin sold well too.

There was also fierce competition for his Cinderella Man jockstrap.

It went for A$7,000, more than 10 times the estimate.

But there was also some top-notch Australian art on show from artists such as Sidney Nolan and Margaret Olley. A piece called The Suitor by Charles Blackman fetched A$360,000.

That far outstripped the A$135,000 paid for the Leandro Bislach violin played by Crowe's character in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. The uniform he wore in the film fetched A$135,000.

The Gladiator replica chariot went for A$65,000, nearly seven times above estimate, but the neo-Nazi boots from Romper Stomper went on estimate at A$10,000.

A 1986 Grammy Award presented to Johnny Cash and other music artists made $150,000.

The New Zealand-born actor appeared at the sale, hearing a rendition of Happy Birthday and three cheers, and saying: "G'day folks, how're you doing?"

He had earlier said the sale was all about moving on - a "watershed moment".

Among the 227 lots of "stuff" (as he calls it) on sale were:

• A scarf and a pair of old shoes from State of Play
• Numerous guitars he's collected (his band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts never won much critical acclaim)
• A Merc used on his wedding day in 2003
• A Shane Warne Test cricket jersey
• The cloth angel doll from The Sum of Us
• The leather sketchbook from 3:10 to Yuma
• Chain mail and other clothing from Robin Hood
• A Javert costume from Les Miserables

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