Kurt Cobain’s destroyed electric guitar sells for an eye-watering amount at auction

An electric guitar destroyed by the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain sold at an auction in New York last weekend for almost $600,000 (€554,900).

According to the celebrity news outlet TMZ, the Fender Stratocaster went for around ten times its original asking price. The instrument dated back to the iconic ‘Nevermind’ era of the early 1990s.

It was among 1000s of historical musical items on offer by the auctioneers Julien’s at the Hard Rock Café between Friday and Sunday.

Although the guitar had been restored after Cobain trashed it, the instrument is unplayable and only has value as a collector’s piece.

As reported by the auctioneers, the initial asking price of between $60,000 and $80,000 suddenly rocketed up to a final bid of $596,900.

Signed by Cobain and his original Nirvana band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, the instrument featured a dedication to his friend Mark Lanegan of the Screaming Trees. It is said that Cobain gifted the guitar to his friend during the Nevermind tour.

A sheet of paper with the setlist written on it from the Nirvana concert where Smells Like Teen Spirit was first played also sold at the New York for $50,800. That was 12 times its asking price.

The sale of Curt’s smashed guitar pales in comparison to that of the 1959 Martin D-18E that he played during the legendary MTV Unplugged Concert on November 18, 1993, in New York City.

That has gone down in history as the most expensive guitar ever, selling in 2020 for a whopping $6 million.