IRVINGTON, NJ — Designer costumes worn by Whitney Houston hit the auction block yesterday, along with some castoffs typically seen on the curb after a yard sale: water-damaged vinyl records and a battered coffee maker.Those items and 400 other lots were being sold because the Grammy-winning singer, 43, had fallen about $175,000 behind on storage fees for several tons of concert gear, including speakers and amplifiers, used on her 1999 tour. Figures on the proceeds may not be released due to the litigation that prompted the sale, said Steve Newmark, co-owner of A.J. Willner Auctions.

Any money earned beyond what is owed for storage will go to Houston’s company, Nippy Inc., said Jeffrey Campisi, a lawyer for Speed of Sound, which has been tending to the items.