The guitar Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana's iconic video for Smells Like Teen Spirit is coming up for auction next month

Kurt Cobain's Fender Mustang — (Image credit: DGC | Christies)

The guitar played by Kurt Cobain in Nirvana's video for Smells Like Teen Spirit will be sold to the highest bidder at an auction at Christies in New York next month.

The left-handed 1969 Fender Mustang, which is expected to sell for up to $5 million, is jus one of the iconic instruments which will find a new owner when Christies auctions off more than 400 items formerly owned by the late Jim Irsay, former owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts. The auction house is describing Irsay's expansive collection as one of the greatest sets of music, film and sports memorabilia and historic Americana ever assembled.

Alongside Cobain's guitar, bids are invited on guitars once owned and played by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, including the Black Strat he used on every Pink Floyd album from Atom Heart Mother through to The Final Cut, John Lennon and George Harrison from The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Prince.

The collection is open for free public viewing at at Christie’s New York auction house from March 6 – 12. The new owners of the iconic instruments will be determined by four auctions scheduled from March 7 to 17.

Irsay's family decided last year to sell off the collection following his passing, aged 65, in May.

"This decision [to auction the collection] was not made lightly, but with deep reflection and love for the legacy he built,” Irsay’s family said in an October statement. Our dad was a passionate collector, driven not by possession, but by a profound appreciation for the beauty, history, and cultural resonance of the items he curated. From iconic instruments to handwritten lyrics by legends to rare historical artifacts and documents, each piece in the collection tells a story - and he was always so excited to share those stories with the world. Now, we believe it’s time for a new life for the collection, and it’s our sincerest hope that these artifacts find future stewards who understand and cherish their significance."

A portion of the proceeds of these sales will be donated to philanthropic causes supported by Jim Irsay during his lifetime.

Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit video was filmed in Culver City, California in the summer of 1991.

Inspired by two of Kurt Cobain's favourite films, Ramones' Rock And Roll High School and cult teen rebellion flick Over The Edge, the concept of the video was to have Nirvana lip-sync in front of an anarchic 'pep rally from Hell'.

The video received its world premiere on MTV's specialist alternative rock show 120 Minutes on September 29, more than one month after Geffen Records sent the single to US radio stations. Two weeks later, it was moved to the station's 'Buzz Bin', MTV's showcase for hot new artists. And from there, it became almost inescapable for a time.

"The video was probably the key element in that song becoming a hit," Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl said in 2009. "People heard the song on the radio and they thought, 'This is great', but when kids saw the video on MTV they thought, 'This is cool. These guys are kinda ugly and they're tearing up their fucking high school'. And then with the video came more people and the clubs got bigger and bigger."

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Official Music Video) - YouTube

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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

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