Kurt Cobain's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Guitar Sells for $4.5M at Auction
Kurt Cobain Smells Like a $4.5 Million Guitar!!! 'Teen Spirt' Fender Sells at Auction
One of Kurt Cobain's most famed guitars is officially in the hands of a new owner, but it wasn't acquired without a king's ransom -- the instrument ended up going for 7 figures.
You'll definitely recognize this one ... it's the blue 1969 Fender Mustang featured in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video, which was also used during recording sessions for the band's "Nevermind" and "In Utero" albums -- so the high price tag of $4.5 million should be no surprise.
Kurt's old guitar was auctioned off Sunday to the Jim Irsay Collection -- yes, the Indianapolis Colts owner -- and ended up going for way higher than its estimated bid of $600k ... which is where Julien's Auctions had it pegged at the outset.
Considering this was one of Kurt's most prized possessions -- not to mention it's a left-handed guitar -- the exponential jump, perhaps, really isn't all that shocking.
What is sorta eye-opening is how many bidders there were -- word is, it was a war of sorts that Irsay walked away from victorious. The guy's worth an estimated $3.5 billion -- so he definitely had the means to snap it up.
As for where the dough for this guitar is going ... naturally, a portion of it is landing in the pockets of Kurt's estate, but another portion is being donated to charity -- namely, in support of Mental Health Awareness Month (May) and the Kicking the Stigma org.