Syd Barrett's 'The Madcap Laughs' floorboards sell for £28,500
The story of Syd Barrett is one of the most enigmatic, troubled, and sad in rock history - and so it is no wonder the floorboards that are a key memento sold at auction for £28,500 on Tuesday.
After founding Pink Floyd alongside Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright, and writing the majority of their debut album Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Syd struggled with drug-induced mental health issues.
He departed the band before the 1970s albums that made them one of the most revered acts of all time - but also released two solo albums himself.
These included his critically acclaimed debut The Madcap Laughs.
It's the orange and blue floorboards that appear on the front cover of this album that have sold for the astonishing £28,500 at Omega Auctions in Cheshire, England.
The value reflects the fact that Syd actually painted the floorboards himself prior to the photo shoot with Mick Rock & Storm Thorgerson. It was the image taken by Storm that was used on the album cover. The vendor purchased the flat in London used by Syd for the album cover shoot and removed the boards during renovations.
Although the floorboards are a unique piece of rock history, they were not an easy one for the buyer to take away - they include 70 planks in total, with most measuring 2.7 meters in length. Still, you won't find another similar rock artefact anywhere else!
Barrett passed away in 2006 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.