Auction
Ian Curtis’ “Love Will Tear Us Apart” Guitar Sells for $210,000
An iconic piece of Joy Division history has found a new home. On Tuesday, Ian Curtis’ signature Vox Phantom guitar was auctioned off by Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia Sale for a staggering £162,562 (or $211,513). The guitar most famously appeared in Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” video. However, it also toured with the late frontman during the band’s 1980 European tour and was used on the recording of Closer track “Heart and Soul”. Curiously enough, the Vox Phantom has quite a history that extends well beyond Curtis. Following his untimely death, the guitar passed on to bandmate Bernard Sumner, who eventually gave it to his Electronic colleague Johnny Marr. The buck doesn’t stop there. Fifteen years later, Marr later returned the guitar back to Sumner, who finally left it with...
The Notorious B.I.G.’s Plastic Crown Sells at Auction for $594,000
Photographer Barron Claiborne paid $6 for the plastic crown that The Notorious B.I.G. wore in his iconic “King of New York” magazine shoot. Now, that same circlet has fetched $594,750 at Sotheby’s first ever hip-hop auction. The bidding took place Tuesday, September 15th, and other notable items up for grabs included a one-of-a-kind Def Jam jacket and a triptych of paintings by Fab Five Freddy. But the plastic coronet was always going to be the star of the auction. Now 57, Claiborne photographed Biggie wearing the crown in 1997, three days before his death. The stunning images later appeared in Rap Pages magazine, but as Claiborne recalled, the shoot almost didn’t happen. At the time, Bad Boy Records owner Sean “Puffy” Combs was against the whole concept. Claiborne expl...
Third Man Records to Auction Off Iconic White Stripes Gear, Memorabilia, and More
Third Man Records auctions off drum kits from The White Stripes’ “Hardest Button to Button” video This past June, Third Man Records unearthed old footage of The White Stripes’ first-ever TV performance filmed back in 2000. The Jack White-founded label is now offering fans the chance to physically own a piece of Third Man history via an online auction. Set to run from August 26th through the 30th, the “Garage Sale” will feature “one-of-a-kind” collector’s items from the label’s archives. This includes: drum kits from The White Stripes’ iconic music video for “Hardest Button to Button” directed by Michel Gondry; stage monitor covers and pedalboards used on tour by The White Stripes; and guitars pulled from Jack White’s own expansive personal collection. The auction also pro...
US Marshals Are Auctioning Off Old Fyre Fest Merch
Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland may be able to befriend celebrities in jail, but that’s better than him pulling off more get-rich-quick schemes during his six-year sentence behind bars. Now, there’s one less way for him to profit off others because the US Marshals are auctioning off merch from the failed event. McFarland was allegedly hoarding various pieces of merchandise in hopes of selling them for personal profit. Instead, the US Marshals have gotten ahold of the clothing stack and are currently auctioning the items off to raise money for victims of the festival who lost money (via Complex). Biding and registration has already started through the vendor Gaston & Sheehan, with the auction running through August 13th. There’s 126 items in total up for auction. The festival...
Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Guitar Sells For Record-Setting $6 Million in Auction
Kurt Cobain’s guitar from Nirvana’s iconic MTV Unplugged episode sold for a record-setting amount of $6,010,000 at a charity auction on Saturday. The 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar far surpassed its original estimate of $1 million dollars. The sale set five new world records, including the most expensive guitar ever sold and the most expensive piece of band memorabilia ever sold. The buyer was Peter Freedman, founder of RØDE Microphones, who plans to display the guitar in a worldwide exhibition tour, with all proceeds going to the performing arts organizations. In addition to the instrument itself, the guitar came with its original hard-shell case — decorated by Cobain with a flyer from Poison Idea’s 1990 album Feel the Darkness, three baggage claim ticket stubs, and an Alaska ...
Prince’s Long-Lost Blue Angel Cloud Guitar up for Auction
Earlier this month, Julien’s Auction announced the lots for its annual Music Icons collection. Amongst the items on the block is one of Prince’s famous Cloud custom guitars — which was recently discovered to be worth far more than initially appraised. That’s because it turns out the instrument is the long-lost Blue Angel guitar that was Prince’s favorite from 1984 to 1993. When the auction was first announced, Paisley Park conservationist and Cloud expert John Woodland contacted Julien’s Auction. After examining the guitar via FaceTime, Woodland was fairly certain this was indeed the second Cloud Prince had commissioned, affectionately known as Blue Angel. Julien’s got the instrument CT scanned to confirm that it was indeed the fabled guitar. Apparently, it had been in the collection of a ...
Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Guitar to Be Auctioned Off Amid Family Dispute
Kurt Cobain’s guitar from Nirvana’s legendary MTV Unplugged episode will be auctioned off on June 19th by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California. It’s a 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar and it’s reportedly valued at $1,000,000. The Martin D-18E comes with its original hard-shell case decorated by Cobain, including a flyer from Poison Idea’s 1990 album Feel the Darkness, three baggage claim ticket stubs, and an Alaska Airlines sticker. The case also contains Cobain’s half-used pack of Martin guitar strings, three guitar picks, and a suede “stash” bag with tiny utensils. The guitar is the latest Cobain item from MTV Unplugged to be auctioned off following his sweater, and its current ownership is not without controversy. Over the past several years, Frances Bean Cobain and ...
