Overview
- Christie’s scheduled a marquee live sale for March 12 in New York, with additional lots offered in New York and online from March 3 to 17.
- Kurt Cobain’s 1966 Fender Mustang, identified as the guitar he used to play Smells Like Teen Spirit, is estimated around $5 million.
- Beatles highlights include the handwritten Hey Jude lyrics, guitars used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, Ringo Starr’s early Ludwig drum and John Lennon’s piano, with estimates of about $2 million for the drum and roughly $1 million per guitar.
- Christie’s says a portion of the auction proceeds will go to philanthropic causes supported by Jim Irsay.
- Irsay assembled the collection over decades as a prominent music collector and longtime Indianapolis Colts owner, and a Cobain guitar sold in 2020 for $6 million before being donated to London’s Royal College of Music.