Cobain’s Cigarette-Burned ‘Unplugged’ Sweater Sells for Record
There’s been a major increase in the value of Cobain’s items in the past two years, according to Darren Julien.
(Bloomberg) -- The vintage green cardigan Kurt Cobain wore for Nirvana’s iconic performance on MTV’s “Unplugged” sold for $334,000. It’s the most expensive sweater auction of all time.
It’s unwashed and still marked with cigarette stains, and was purchased for $137,500 four years ago. The unidentified businessman kept it in acid-free tissue in a safe. Its only potential flaw: it’s missing a button. The auction house expected it to sell for $300,000.
There’s been a major increase in the value of Cobain’s items in the past two years, according to Darren Julien, president of the auction house handling the sale.
“We advised the client that this is the right time to sell the sweater,” Julien said. The auction took place on Friday and Saturday at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe. The winning bidder cashed in over the phone and wishes to remain anonymous.
Cobain’s left-handed Fender Mustang guitar sold for more than the sweater, at $340,000. It was expected to sell for about $400,000.
Cobain died by suicide at age 27, about six months after taping “Unplugged.” The performance was played hundreds of times on the network in the months following his death, and the album version released in November 1994 sold more than 5 million copies.
Earlier this year, the sweater Cobain wore during his last photo shoot with Nirvana sold for $75,000, more than double Julien’s estimate.
To contact the reporter on this story: Hailey Waller in New York at hwaller@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Ian Fisher, Virginia Van Natta
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