Guitar Smashed by Kurt Cobain of 'Nirvana' Sold for 800 Million Won

Auction of Guitar Broken During Nirvana's 1992 North America Tour
Initially Estimated at 80 Million KRW... Final Bid Exceeds Estimate by 10 Times

The guitar smashed by Kurt Cobain, the legendary leader of the American rock band Nirvana, was sold at auction for about 800 million won.

On the 21st (local time), foreign media including the BBC reported that the guitar broken by Cobain during Nirvana's Nevermind Tour North American concert in 1992 was sold to an unidentified buyer at an auction held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York.

Initially, the auction house, Julien's Auctions, expected the guitar to sell for between 80 million and 100 million won. However, the actual winning bid exceeded that by ten times.

At an auction held in Gardena, California, USA, a guitar broken by Kurt Cobain during a performance is on display.
[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

Cobain, who took his own life at the age of 27 in 1994, was famous for his aggressive performances, including smashing guitars during concerts. The black Fender electric guitar (Stratocaster) that appeared in this auction was also broken by Cobain. Although the broken pieces were reassembled, it is known that the guitar is not in playable condition.

The guitar bears signatures written in silver marker by the three members of Nirvana. In particular, Cobain left a message on the guitar for Mark Lanegan, with whom he made music together, saying, "Hi Mark, love you, your friend Kurdt Cobain." The BBC reported that "Cobain often spelled his own name Kurt differently."

After the release of the Nevermind album, Cobain gave this guitar to Lanegan in 1992, and Lanegan passed away last year. The identity of the person who received the guitar through the auction has not been disclosed. However, the auction house revealed that the previous owner's name was Tony Palmer.

Meanwhile, guitars owned by Cobain have been auctioned several times before. Two years ago, a guitar used by Cobain during the 1993 'MTV Unplugged' performance was sold for about 7.9 billion won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.