Kurt Cobain's 1989 Stage-Smashed Fender Mustang Guitar Sells for Nearly $500,000 at Auction

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An electric guitar played, smashed and then signed by the legendary Kurt Cobain sold for nearly half of a million dollars at an auction over the weekend.

The circa 1973 Fender Mustang with tobacco sunburst finish sold for $486,400, which exceeded the $400,000 estimate, according to Julien's Auctions.

The Cobain-owned, stage-played, smashed and signed axe was used on Nirvana's first U.S. tour at two performances in 1989, according to the auction house.

The first date was at Club Dreamerz in Chicago, Ill. on July 8 and the second at the Sonic Temple in Wilkinsburg, Penn. on July 9. It was the latter appearance where Cobain smashed the guitar to pieces across the stage during the finale performance of "Blew."

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"Following that performance, the band stayed at Sluggo Cawley of the band Hullabaloo's apartment, where Cobain noticed a smashed Gibson SG hanging on Cawley's wall," the story goes, according to the auction house. "Cobain offered to trade it for the Fender Mustang he had smashed on July 9th because he thought he could repair the Gibson SG well enough to smash it again later on."

Julien's Auctions continued, "Sluggo agreed to the trade and had Cobain inscribe the Mustang, signing as Nirvana and additionally drawing two flowers along the upper right portion of the pickguard before the band moved on to their next show. Along the lower portion of the body, the inscription reads, 'Yo Sluggo / Thank for the trade / If it's illegal to Rock and Roll, then throw my ass in jail / Nirvana.'"

Once asked by a journalist about his propensity for smashing guitars on stage, Cobain reportedly responded, "Why do I do it? Why not? It feels good. Somebody already cut down a nice old tree to make that f---ing guitar. Smash it! We only ever do it if the feeling's right; it doesn't matter where we are."

Other notable music items that went for big bucks at the weekend auction include Elvis Presley's 1972 18K gold diamond Ebel wristwatch, which sold for $256,000; Bob Dylan's Wm. Knabe & Co. Brand Louis XV grand piano, which sold for $217,600; Prince's 1992 Kurt Nelson Cloud model electric guitar with NFT, which sold for $192,000; John Lennon photo-matched 'Granny' glasses, which sold for $162,500; Tupac Shakur's artwork completed for a 1996 AIDS Project Los Angeles fundraiser, which sold for $128,000; and Michael Jackson's custom-made Gibson electric guitar smashed in "Scream" music video, which sold for $87,500, according to the auction house.