Fans pack Christie’s galleries | Sale room awash in applause | Christie’s has now sold the top three guitars of all time
The auctioneer and Deputy Chairman, Tash Perrin, knocks down the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, David Gilmour’s ‘Black Strat’ for $14,550,00 (with buyer’s premium) after 21 minutes of bidding.
NEW YORK – That rocked! The Jim Irsay Collection blew into Christie’s like a gale-force guitar solo, generating $94,484,903—nearly four times the low estimate and the largest total of any memorabilia auction in history. Over four days, every single lot sold. The sale and its free exhibition at Christie’s New York at 20 Rockefeller Center drew thousands of impassioned fans, inspired applause and high fives in the saleroom, and set 28 world records, including the most expensive guitar ever sold: David Gilmour’s iconic Black Strat, which sold for $14,550,000 after an over 20-minute bidding war. The record-shattering sale also secured the second and third most expensive guitars of all time: Jerry Garcia’s custom built “Tiger” guitar sold for $11.6 million, and Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” guitar sold for $6.9 million (and set the record for a guitar owned by the Nirvana frontman). A portion of the proceeds of these sales will be donated to philanthropic causes supported by Jim Irsay during his lifetime.
“This was a week the market will long remember,” said the President of Christie’s Americas, Julien Pradels. “The palpable excitement and sustained applause in the saleroom, combined with the record‑setting results, are a tribute to a great collector and a testament to the enduring resonance of our shared cultural icons.”
For more detailed information see below.
The top 10 results in the series were all world records and all set during the first night of the series, The Hall of Fame sale:
David Gilmour’s “Black Strat” $14,550,000 World Record
Jack Kerouac’s Original Typescript Scroll for “On the Road” $12,135,000 World Record
Jerry Garcia’s custom-built Doug Irwin guitar “Tiger” $11,560,000 World Record
Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video Fender Mustang $6,907,000 World Record
Eric Clapton’s 1939 “MTV Unplugged” Martin 000-42 $4,101,000 World Record
John Lennon’s Broadwood Upright Piano $3,247,000 World Record
Eric Clapton’s Gibson SG “The Fool” $3,003,000 World Record
Ringo Starr’s Beatle logo drum head used in the Ed Sullivan Show $2,881,000 World Record
Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics for “The Times They Are a Changin” $2,515,000 World Record
Ringo Starr’s First Ludwig kit $2,393,000 World Record
The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame
The first sale in the series soared almost four times (373 percent) past its low estimate, making $84,091,350 and was 100 percent sold by lot. The saleroom was packed and applause erupted when each lot was hammered down, and even for some individual bids. During this sale, Christie’s became the auction house to sell the three most expensive guitars in history: the Gilmour “Black Strat,” Garcia’s “Tiger,” and Cobain’s “Smells like Teen Spirit” Fender Mustang. The Gilmour “Black Strat” is now the most expensive guitar in history.
The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of Pop Culture
The sale also went almost four times (372 percent) past its low estimate, making $6,472,301. It was 100 percent sold by lot.
The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of Music
The sale totaled $ 3,181,604, which is 144 percent of low estimate. The sale was 100 percent sold by lot.
The Jim Irsay Collection: Online
The sale totaled $739,064, which was 141 percent of the low estimate. All 116 lots sold.
WORLD RECORDS: In total, the Irsay Collection produced 28 world records. They are as follows:
The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame: 28 world records
For a total guitar auction $84,091,350
For any guitar: David Gilmour’s “Black Strat” $14,550,000
For a Fender Stratocaster: David Gilmour’s “Black Strat” $14,550,000
For David Gilmour: David Gilmour’s “Black Strat” $14,550,000
For Kurt Cobain: Fender Mustang used in “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video $6,907,000
For Jerry Garcia: Custom-built Doug Irwin guitar “Tiger” $11,560,000
For an Irwin Guitar: Jerry Garcia’s custom-built “Tiger” $11,560,000
For any Beatles object: John Lennon’s Broadwood Upright Piano $3,247,000
For George Harrison: a Gibson ‘SG’ Standard $2,271,000
For drums: Ringo Starr’s First Ludwig kit $2,393,000 (broken in this sale)
For a drumhead: Ringo Starr’s Beatles ‘Drop T’ logo drum head used in The Ed Sullivan Show $2,881,000
For Ringo Starr: Beatles ‘Drop T’ logo drum head used in The Ed Sullivan Show $2,881,000
For Eric Clapton: the 1939 Martin 000-42 $4,101,000
For a Gibson guitar: Eric Clapton’s Gibson SG “The Fool” $3,003,000
For a literary manuscript: Original Typescript Scroll for “On the Road” $12,135,000
For Jim Morrison: a Jim Morrison handwritten notebook $266,700
For a microphone: Jim Morrison’s Electro-Voice microphone, used circa 1968-1970 $120,650
For lyrics: Bob Dylan handwritten lyrics for “The Times They Are a Changin’” $2,515,000
For a guitar owned by a woman: Janis Joplin’s Gibson J-45 $381,000
For a Saxophone: John Coltrane’s prototype Yamaha Nippon Gakki Alto Saxophone $431,800
For a Trumpet: Miles Davis Martin Committee Trumpet $1,651,000
For Miles Davis: Martin Committee Trumpet $1,651,000
For any horseracing object: Secretariat race-used 1973 Triple Crown saddle $1,524,000
The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of Pop Culture 4 world records
For a Recording Industry Association of America award: The Beatles “I Want To Hold Your Hand” $158,750
For a Don McLean guitar: a Martin 00-21 used on his 1972 hit single “Vincent” $234,950
For any Fleetwood Mac object: John McVie’s custom Alembic fretless bass guitar $177,800
For a Lou Reed guitar: stage-played custom shop Fender Telecaster, known as “Goldie” $330,200
The Jim Irsay Collection: Online 1 world record
For a copy of Bill Wilson’s Alcoholics Anonymous $40,640
Additional objects from American history will also be offered in a dedicated auction on July 1 and on view in a free public exhibition at 20 Rockefeller Plaza from June 25-30. More information will be shared on that sale—The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of History—later this year.
