Auction houses have seen a rash of celebrity items up for auction lately including a multi-day event featuring some iconic guitars.
On day one, Eric Clapton’s “The Fool” guitar sold for $1.27 million and on Day 2, Kurt Cobain’s “Skystang I” that was played by Cobain on his “Utero” tour including his final public performance sold for $1,587,500. The blue left handed guitar includes the original guitar strap and the strings that were on the guitar when Cobain last played it.
Japanese businessman Mitsuru Sato bought the guitar and plans to add it to a collection of musical instruments for display in a “Hard Rock” styled café. Sato noted, “I want to pass on rock to the next generation in a real way. We would like to use this guitar to support the next generation aiming to pursue music.”
A portion of the $1.5 million sale will go to “Kicking the Stigma” a mental health awareness initiative from the Irsay Family and Indianapolis Colts.
President and Chief Executive Officer of Julien’s Auctions, Darren Julien spoke on the “Skystang I” saying “throughout Julien’s 20 years in the business, it has been our privilege and honor to represent rock’s most historic and important artifacts and notably a lifetime achievement to have been entrusted in preserving the legacy of one of rock’s most influential musicians and icons, Kurt Cobain. Today’s sale of his beloved ‘Skystang I’ Fender guitar played on his final show performance with Nirvana on the In Utero tour, as well as countless other legendary Nirvana performances, is another milestone for us and is especially poignant as the auction falls on this year’s 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s 1993 – 1994 In Utero tour.”
Cobain’s Levi jeans set a record for the most expensive jeans, selling for $412.750. Other items auctioned were an argyle cardigan that sold for $13,000, an unopened pack of “American Spirit” cigarettes that sold for $5,200, and the handwritten lyrics for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that went for $91,000.