Dozens of Gordon Lightfoot’s personal belongings, including guitars, artwork and even his highest awards, are up for grabs in an auction that has some fans wondering why the items weren’t rescued by a museum.

Texas-based Heritage Auctions is leading the sale of the artifacts in cooperation with the Lightfoot estate. The auction is currently being held online and closes with an in-person ceremony on November 17, the late musician’s birthday.

Among the items up for auction are nine artist-signed paintings inspired by “The Shipwreck of Edmund Fitzgerald” that hung in Lightfoot’s living room, and a Rand McNally map of the United States with tour stops the singer-songwriter also exhibited in his home.

LISTEN | The official audio of Lightfoot’s song ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’:

There’s an assortment of Lightfoot’s most recognizable sets, a selection of his amplifiers, his Canadian Walk of Fame trophy, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame award presented to him in 2012 by Steve Miller.

Some of the guitars auctioned are particularly significant.

His 1967 Gibson B45-12 Sunburst acoustic will be familiar to fans, as it was placed next to Lightfoot on the cover of his 1974 album. Sunset and used in other photo shoots. The auction house calls it “a vital part of Lightfoot’s musical journey.”

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His 1975 Ed McGlincy acoustic guitar is described as “probably a custom one-off” by renowned luthier Ed McGlincy, which Lightfoot took on tour. There is evidence of its use in the remains of adhesive tape on its back where he probably stuck his set lists or lyrics during his concerts.

Some fans took to Lightfoot’s Facebook page to criticize the auction, saying the estate should have worked with Canadian cultural institutions to protect items that belonged to a singer-songwriter of such historical importance.

Requests for comment from members of Lightfoot’s estate were not returned.

Garry Shrum, director of music memorabilia at Heritage Auctions, which handled sales of items related to the Beatles, Elvis and Nirvana, said it’s common for fans to bristle at the auction of items from their favorite artists.

“I understand it a lot,” he said.

“We have museums that bid on our auctions, and we have people who bid on things and lend them to a museum. That kind of thing happens all the time.”

Shrum suggested that any fans who feel conflicted about the auction should consider viewing the items on the website.

After Lightfoot died last year at the age of 84, there was a flurry of efforts to solidify her Canadian legacy, such as naming public spaces after her or holding events in her honor, but many never materialized.

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Lightfoot’s friend and former manager, Bernie Fiedler, has said that Lightfoot’s estate prevented him from participating in a Massey Hall tribute concert earlier this year.

And the efforts in Lightfoot’s hometown of Orillia, Ontario. Consideration of a museum dedicated to the musician appears to have stalled as well.

The city council established a working group to consult with the estate on which memorabilia will be displayed, and although an extension of the mandate was approved last fall, no announcements have been made.

Shrum said what surprised him most was the large number of items available for the Lightfoot collection when he visited the late singer-songwriter’s home shortly after his death.

“It was like a museum,” he said of the mansion in Toronto’s affluent Bridle Path neighborhood.

“Gordon had all the walls decorated with all his history.”

“It’s good for him that he didn’t throw these things away like a lot of people do,” he added.

A second auction of Lightfoot’s “things and objects,” primarily jewelry, photographs and awards, will begin in mid-November and close Dec. 7.