Kurt Cobain’s 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' guitar to go up for auction
The blue 1969 Mustang Fender guitar used by rock icon Kurt Cobain in the 1991 Nirvana music video "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is displayed at the media preview of the "Music Icons" auction, at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California, on April 11, 2022. (AFP)
by Reuters
Apr 12, 2022 9:31 am


Kurt Cobain's iconic blue guitar in American rock band Nirvana's hit song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video clip will go under the hammer next month. The guitar is expected to fetch up to $800,000 at the auction.

With "Smells Like Teen Spirit" racking up more than 1.4 billion views on YouTube, the 1969 blue Fender is arguably one of the most famous in rock, said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions.

Memorabilia including iconic clothing and musical instruments of the late Kurt Cobain of the legendary grunge band Nirvana, on display at the "Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses" exhibition of the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle on April 15, 2011. (REUTERS)

"This is one of the most iconic guitars ever to come to the auction block, this is the blue Mustang Fender guitar, one of Kurt Cobain's favorite guitars of all time," said Nolan, standing beside a display of Kurt Cobain memorabilia at Julien’s Auction’s Beverly Hills showroom.

"The guitar comes with its original case and, also, the guitar strap, so that's ... really important to collectors when they come to the auction to know the originality," said Nolan, who noted that the guitar has stayed with the family since Cobain's death in 1994.

A skateboard owned and hand decorated by Kurt Cobain is displayed at the media preview of the upcoming "Music Icons" auction, at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California, on April 11, 2022. (AFP)

The Cobain guitar is the star lot in the auction house’s Music Icons auction, taking place in New York and online from May 20-22.

Nolan said the auction house has conservatively estimated a price range for the guitar of $600,000 to $800,000 but noted "that's a very conservative auction estimate."

The auction house said a portion of the proceeds would go to a mental health charity.

The auction also features other items, including an original Kurt Cobain artwork of Michael Jackson that is expected to fetch up to $40,000 and one of his cars, a 1965 Dodge Dart, expected to fetch between $400,000 to $600,000.