Soul fans picked over the remains of James Brown's estate yesterday, raising more than $850,000 for his creditors and the US taxman in a controversial auction of the singer's possessions.

More than 300 lots, including the Godfather of Soul's medical bracelet – coveted by David Letterman’s band leader and finally sold for $32,000 – were up at Christie's in New York in an auction forced by a court-appointed administrator.

On the block were the jumpsuits and capes that the funk legend made his trademark. A denim number he wore for the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" concert in Zaire fetched $25,000 and a blue satin cape embroidered with "Thy Name Is Godfather of Soul" was sold for $35,000. However the $857,000 raised was short of the $1 million - $2 million forecast.

Brown's family and former business managers tried in vain to block the auction, which was given the green light by a judge on Monday. "We were given a list of things and asked to go through and check off things that we didn't think should go, and we were just ignored," one of Brown's daughters, Deanna Brown Thomas, said. "At end of the day, everything went."

Times Archive, 1971: James Brown at the Albert Hall

James Brown is the pop world's equivalent of Cassius Clay

Related Links

• Funking it up for the Godfather

• James Brown obituary

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• Pictures: James Brown auction

Brown, who was a diabetic and allergic to penicillin, died of heart failure on Christmas Day, 2006, aged 73.

His estate has been the subject of much dispute and legal wrangling involving members of his large family, including several adult children, former girlfriends and ex-wives.

Court-appointed trustees for his estate, reported to be worth between $100 million and $200 million, sued Brown's business managers, law firm and the investment bank Morgan Stanley, claiming a conspiracy to defraud the singer and accusing the bank of not preventing fraud by the managers.

Top lots

Blue satin cape, embroidered with “Thy Name Is Godfather of Soul”: $35,000

Hand-tinted photograph of Brown at age 9: $5,000

Brown's Hammond B-3 organ: $10,000

Furniture suite: $40,000

Beaded black cape $47,500

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