The iconic items, part of a larger collection, are scheduled to be auctioned at the Times Square cafe and online this weekend, and select items are on display to the public throughout the week.
A collection of rare and iconic music memorabilia is currently on display to the public at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square through Friday.
1200 items including guitars played by Kurt Cobain, Alex Lifeson and Eddie Van Halen will be auctioned off this weekend through Julien’s Auctions.
Among the items are a 1969 Fender Mustang played by Cobain in the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video, an Iron Maiden skate deck that was hand drawn by Cobain, Madonna’s outfit from the “Material Girl” video and instruments played or signed by Jimi Hendrix, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and more.
Titled “Music Icons,” the auction also features a large collection from Rush’s Lifeson that includes his signature white 1976 Gibson ES-355, a guitar that has become synonymous with Rush’s image in the late 1970s.
Thousands of collectors have already begun to place bids on these items online, while some fans have traveled from out of state to catch a glimpse of the iconic instruments. For many, items like these invoke a strong sense of nostalgia.
“Alex, he cried letting go of [his ES-355 guitar] ‘Whitey,’” executive director at Julien’s Auctions Martin Nolan told The New School Free Press. “Because he grew up with ‘Whitey,’ a lot of people grew up with ‘Whitey’ and Rush.”
Many of the instruments are currently valued at upwards of $200,000 but are expected to fetch more.
“It’s nostalgic,” Nolan said. “[The items] are a part of history and a conduit to the story, that’s what we like to look back at.”
Julien’s Auctions specializes in rare music and film memorabilia collections. In 2020, they set the record for most expensive guitar sold at a public auction with the sale of Kurt Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18, a guitar that was used during Nirvana’s 1993 “MTV Unplugged” performance.
Fans can view items at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square through Friday, and find more information at juliensauctions.com.
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