London - A music fan handed a pair of trousers by Jimi Hendrix that might have been worth £25 000 says they may have lost their value because he had them altered.
Mickey Martin, 73, was given the red suede trousers, belonging to the American guitarist, for fetching him drinks during a gig in Cheltenham in February 1967.
Martin, who was working at the venue, was so delighted by the distinctive gift he decided to have them taken up three and a half inches so he could wear them himself out on the town.
But taking into account the alterations and the fact Martin failed to get Hendrix to sign the trousers, it means they are now probably worthless.
Memorabilia associated with the psychedelic rocker, who died in 1970, can fetch huge sums. Last year a pair of Hendrix’s colourful striped trousers sold at auction for £25 000.
Martin, then 21, was drafted in to work at Cheltenham’s Blue Moon club on the evening Hendrix played as they were short-staffed.
He then spent the next few hours running soft drinks from the bar to Hendrix and his band before finding himself in the dressing room after the show.
He recalled: "Jimi came over to me, gave me a pair of trousers and said, 'Here you are, man – thanks a lot for taking care'.
"We didn’t talk much – he just smiled. The gig was fantastic though – I was blown away by him."
Martin, who often wore the trousers in the year after the show, added: "I didn’t bother with any autograph – the thought didn’t enter my head. If I had that [the autograph] they might be worth something.
"I had about three and a half inches taken off the bottom. I wore them at least once a week. I would have thought altering the bottom would have affected the price too... But I wanted to wear them."