Kurt Cobain’s Smashed Guitar Fetches $100,000 at Auction
A Fender Stratocaster shattered by Kurt Cobain during a 1992 performance has sold at auction for $101,500, according to TMZ, citing Dylan Kosinski, president of the music auction house Gottahaverockandroll.
The winning bidder, an anonymous collector from Texas, emerged victorious after a fierce online bidding war. Five participants placed a total of 11 bids, with the starting price set at $30,000.
The guitar, smashed during Nirvana’s 1992 European tour, was later restored to playable condition to support the band’s ongoing performances. It was acquired by a member of Nirvana’s technical crew, who worked with the band from 1991 to 1993. The instrument’s authenticity was later verified by John Duncan, a renowned guitar technician closely associated with the group.
While significant, this sale is far from the priciest for Cobain’s instruments. In 2020, the guitar he played during Nirvana’s iconic MTV Unplugged performance fetched a staggering $6 million. In 2022, a 1969 Fender Mustang featured in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video sold for $4.5 million. The following year, a shattered and reassembled guitar—unplayable but steeped in history—went for $596,000.
