A guitar played and smashed by Kurt Cobain during Nirvana's 1992 European tour sold for $101,500 on Saturday night at Gotta Have Rock and Roll.
The white Fender Stratocaster, which has since been restored, was originally obtained by a crew member.
Cobain guitars are at the top of the heap in the collecting world, with the two most expensive ever sold coming with provenance connected to the Nirvana frontman: His MTV Unplugged guitar ($6.01 million in June 2021) and the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” guitar ($4.55 million in May 2022).
In November 2024 another played and smashed Cobain guitar from an early Nirvana show in 1991 sold for nearly $160,000. In 2023, a smashed Fender Stratocaster from Cobain sold for nearly $600,000.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.