Janis Joplin's guitar fetched $381K — the most expensive guitar owned by a woman ever sold. Christie's called it "the Super Bowl for music memorabilia." These aren't just instruments; they're physical relics of cultural earthquakes.
The Jim Irsay Collection auction (late Colts owner's memorabilia) moved 44 items for $89 million on night one alone, setting 22 records. Ringo's 1964 Ed Sullivan drum head: $2.9M. Lennon's "Lucy in the Sky" piano: $3.2M. Kerouac's "On the Road" scroll: $12.1M.
Kurt Cobain's guitars also made waves: his "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 1969 Fender Mustang hit $6.9 million (most ever for a Cobain instrument), while his MTV Unplugged Martin held the previous record at $6.1 million until Gilmour's Strat crushed it.
This Stratocaster became Gilmour's main guitar for his entire career — every Pink Floyd album from 1970-1983, all four solo records. After a 21-minute bidding war, an anonymous buyer secured it, setting three separate records in one sale.
The guitar survived a wild origin story: Pink Floyd got robbed of all their instruments in New Orleans during a 1970 US tour. While the band flew home, Gilmour stayed in NYC and walked into Manny's Music — right across from where Christie's held the auction 56 years later.
David Gilmour's 1969 "Black Strat" just obliterated auction records — selling for $14.5 million at Christie's NYC, more than double the previous guitar record. This wasn't just any Fender; it's the axe that shaped Pink Floyd's sound on Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.
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Janis Joplin's guitar fetched $381K — the most expensive guitar owned by a woman ever sold. Christie's called it "the Super Bowl for music memorabilia." These aren't just instruments; they're physical relics of cultural earthquakes.
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The Jim Irsay Collection auction (late Colts owner's memorabilia) moved 44 items for $89 million on night one alone, setting 22 records. Ringo's 1964 Ed Sullivan drum head: $2.9M. Lennon's "Lucy in the Sky" piano: $3.2M. Kerouac's "On the Road" scroll: $12.1M.
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Kurt Cobain's guitars also made waves: his "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 1969 Fender Mustang hit $6.9 million (most ever for a Cobain instrument), while his MTV Unplugged Martin held the previous record at $6.1 million until Gilmour's Strat crushed it.
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This Stratocaster became Gilmour's main guitar for his entire career — every Pink Floyd album from 1970-1983, all four solo records. After a 21-minute bidding war, an anonymous buyer secured it, setting three separate records in one sale.
2/6 🧵
The guitar survived a wild origin story: Pink Floyd got robbed of all their instruments in New Orleans during a 1970 US tour. While the band flew home, Gilmour stayed in NYC and walked into Manny's Music — right across from where Christie's held the auction 56 years later.
1/6 🧵
David Gilmour's 1969 "Black Strat" just obliterated auction records — selling for $14.5 million at Christie's NYC, more than double the previous guitar record. This wasn't just any Fender; it's the axe that shaped Pink Floyd's sound on Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.