The auction house expects around $200,000 for Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's guitar, which he demolished on his first US tour. But the highest bidder pays almost two and a half times as much. Worn-out Birkenstocks bring several times the estimated price.
A smashed guitar belonging to the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain has sold for more than $486,000 in New York. The estimated value was $200,000, according to auction house Julien's. Cobain demolished the 1973 Fender Mustang on stage during his band Nirvana's first US tour in 1989.
The sale was part of a three-day rock 'n' roll auction that saw over 1,500 pieces owned by musicians including Cobain, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Prince, Amy Winehouse, Madonna and Lady Gaga go under the hammer through Sunday night. A 1972 Elvis Presley gold watch set with diamonds fetched $256,000, a Bob Dylan grand piano fetched $217,000, and a Prince blue electric guitar fetched $192,000. Round wire glasses that once belonged to John Lennon were auctioned for a good $162,000.
A pair of well-worn Birkenstock sandals belonging to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs also achieved several times the estimate - the hammer price was over 218,000 dollars. Several Gibson guitars, made in the colors of the Ukrainian flag of blue and yellow, were auctioned off at the auction for the victims of the Ukraine war.
A Gibson Les Paul guitar, which ex-Beatle Paul McCartney performed with in the summer, brought in almost $77,000. "I'm glad to auction this beautiful guitar of mine to do something good for the excellent people of Ukraine," McCartney said. According to Gibson Guitars For Peace Ukraine Relief, 100 percent of the proceeds from the auction go to humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine.
