Kurt Cobain ’s acoustic guitar has been rated the most expensive item of rock memorabilia at more than £4million.
Experts have crunched the numbers on the 101 most valuable pieces of music history ever to be auctioned.
The Nirvana frontman’s 1959 Martin D-18E, which changed hands for £4,530,097 in 2020, came ahead of instruments owned by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Elvis Presley and Ringo Starr.
It beat a life-sized porcelain figure of Michael Jackson and his chimp Bubbles, which sold at Sotheby’s New York in 2001 for £3,800,000.
The guitar of Pink Floyd legend Dave Gilmour came third in the all-time best sellers list.
(Image: Getty Images)
His black Stratocaster went at Christie’s in America in 2019 for £3,013,000.
But the top 10 is dominated by John Lennon and Ringo Starr with the cars, guitars, drum kits and pianos of the former Beatles dominating the list.
Lennon’s Rolls-Royce, which had a unique psychedelic Romany gypsy style paint job, sold at Sotheby’s in 1985 for £1,700,000 making it the sixth highest seller.
And the piano on which he composed his song Imagine was sold to late Wham! star George Michael for £1,670,000 in 2000, placing it seventh on the list.
(Image: Lorne Campbell / Guzelian)
Ringo’s first drum kit used as the Fab Four rose to stardom went for £1,595,740 in 2015 making it the eighth most expensive.
In 10th place came Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics for Like A Rolling Stone which sold at Sotheby’s in 2012 for £1, 546,582.
Ian Shirley, rock memorabilia expert at Record Collector magazine, which compiled the list, said: “The list comprises the 101 most expensive items of memorabilia ever sold at public auction.
“I remember one auction that sold several used Elvis Presley cigars.
“Indeed, one of John Lennon’s teeth has gone under the hammer!”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
