Kurt Cobain’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ guitar up for auction

The guitar Kurt Cobain played during his 1993 “MTV Unplugged” performance is being auctioned, and is expected to sell for at least $1 million. The rare D-18E guitar was previously owned by Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain, who reportedly gave it up during her divorce from musician Isaiah Silva. Marin J. Nolan, the executive director of Julien’s Auctions says he’s not aware of the guitar’s previous owner. “We are selling the guitar with title, free and clear,” he explains. “You are owning this without any complications or problems at all.” The guitar is one of only 302 D-18Es made by the Martin Guitar company. “This was the seventh one of the line,” Nolan says. “1959 vintage guitar, highly collectible in its own right.” According to a statement from Julien' Auctions, bidding is expected to start at $1 million.

Video Transcript

KURT COBAIN: Good evening.

- There was a real acrimonious, even ugly dispute over who owned this guitar between Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, his child, Frances Bean Cobain, and her ex-husband. During the dispute over this guitar, Courtney Love, I believe, said-- called it a family heirloom. Do you know anything about that? What can you tell me about that?

MARTIN J NOLAN: Yeah, so honestly, I'm not privy to that at all. I will tell you that the current owner of the guitar consigned it to us. We are selling the guitar with title free and clear. So the winning bidder on June 19, when the gavel goes down, and they take home this amazing piece of pop culture history, they are owning this without any lien, or any complications, or any problems at all.

- Talk to me about the significance of this Kurt Cobain guitar. Why is it so valuable?

MARTIN J NOLAN: There's such a historic event. Kurt Cobain, "MTV Unplugged New York City," November 18, 1993. 14 songs on one take. Six covers, the rest were Nirvana songs. It was just such a legendary performance by an artist with a legendary guitar. It's a 1959 Martin D-18E guitar.

Was only 302 of them made. This was the seventh one off the line, so number 7 out of 302. 1959, a vintage guitar, highly collectible in its own right. And then you say MTV Unplugged, Nirvana, and that's the wow factor.

- Incredible. And it's not just a guitar, it's all the accouterments that come with it. Tell me about them.

MARTIN J NOLAN: Yeah, so, you know, when you're bidding on the guitar, it comes in its original hardshell case, which you'll see here behind me. And what Kurt Cobain did was, as an ode or a tribute to Poison Idea, a punk rock band that he looked up to and got inspiration from, and this is a poster from one of their tours in the early 90s. That's really great to see. An Alaska Airlines sticker on the guitar case as well.

And then inside, you'll have a half pack of guitar string-- Dunlop guitar strings, three strings still there, some guitar picks, some stubs of luggage tags from an airline. And then, of course, the really interesting part is sort of a suede little stash bag with a miniature knife, fork, and spoon for, you know, maybe something recreational that Kurt may have used along the way. So it's all part of the history. Oh, never mind.

This is a really historical piece of pop culture history representing an amazing career for Kurt Cobain, for Nirvana. Such an outstanding moment. You think about grunge and what it represents, the cardigan we sold last year-- that green, grungy cardigan, cigarette burns included for $334,000. That cardigan he probably bought at a thrift store for a few dollars, which is what he would represent.

Then to think this guitar, which he bought from a guitar store in Los Angeles in the early 90s, to think that this guitar potentially will set a world record as well. And I think Nirvana goes on to create more world record. We're still talking about it. Again, another historic event for Nirvana and certainly for Kurt Cobain.

KURT COBAIN: He's a certified honorary punk rocker.

[CROWD CHEERING]

- Thank you.