A smashed Kurt Cobain electric guitar has gone under the hammer in New York for around $486,000. Specifically, it is a Mustang model from the manufacturer Fender from 1973. The Nirvana frontman had demolished his gaming device during a performance on stage during his band’s first US tour.
Not every treasure is made of silver and gold
In advance, the auction house “Julien’s Auctions” had put the estimated value of the instrument at just 200,000 US dollars. In addition to the guitar, more than 1,500 items changed hands during the three-day auction entitled “Icons and Idols: Rock ‘N’ Roll”. For example, an Elvis Presley watch set with diamonds fetched $256,000, a Bob Dylan grand piano sold for $217,000 and a Prince blue electric guitar fetched $192,000. John Lennon round wire glasses were worth $162,000 to someone.
Sold for $486,400. A circa 1973 Fender Mustang electric guitar that was owned, stage-played, smashed, and signed by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.
“Icons and Idols: Rock ‘N’ Roll” auction taking place at the @HardRock in New York City and online at https://t.co/tzS6JKuf2p pic.twitter.com/0aMtLrgXdl
— Julien’s Auctions (@JuliensAuctions) November 13, 2022
Cobain’s most famous guitar cost twelve times as much
By the way, compared to an earlier auction, the Fender Mustang 1973 can be described as a real bargain. The acoustic-electric guitar with which Cobain wrote music history during his “MTV Unplugged” concert was sold two years ago for an unbelievable price of six million US dollars. The Martin D-18E from 1959 was bought by the head of an Australian audio engineering company. Unlike the new owner of the Fender Mustang, he is even allowed to play his instrument.