New York ( CNN ) -- The Great Recession is over for Eric Clapton fans . During a charity auction on Wednesday , fans bid on some of the guitar legend 's most prized possessions and raised $ 1.77 million for a drug treatment center in Antigua . The auction , held in New York , had 140 lots containing various guitars , amps , citations of achievements , touring case , and even a stage suit designed by Gianni Versace . All the money raised will go to benefit the Crossroads Centre , a nonprofit drug treatment center that Clapton founded on the island in the West Indies in 1998 . `` We feel it 's a tremendous success , '' Kim Martin , a representative for the Crossroads Centre , said . `` We 're excited the auction raised the amount of money it did , and we 're grateful for the organizers and the many bidders who participated . '' The item receiving the highest bid was Clapton 's 1948 Gibson LP5 guitar , which sold for $ 82,960 . According to the auction catalogue , Clapton said the guitar had `` plenty of use . '' Other big sellers were a 2005 Zemaitis guitar that sold for $ 75,640 and a 2008 Martin guitar that fetched $ 70,760 . The lowest-selling item was an Andrea Valentini tote bag , which went for $ 610 .
Most lucrative item was a 1948 Gibson LP5 guitar , which fetched nearly $ 83,000 . Two other guitars sold for more than $ 70,000 . The auction house said the items were bought by an anonymous buyer from New York who paid in cash and will be kept at his home until he decides what to do with them.