After shelling out a cool $4.5 million in an auction, Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay is now the proud owner of the guitar played by Kurt Cobain in the music video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Despite appearing in one of rock music’s most iconic videos, Irsay’s bid far exceeded expectations for the guitar, a left-handed 1969 Fender Mustang in Competition Lake Placid Blue finish, which Julien’s Auctions estimated to sell for around $600,000 to $800,000. Of course, Forbes estimates Irsay’s net worth to be around $3.5 billion, which puts the purchase into perspective.
Outside of his football career, Irsay collects rock music, American history, and pop culture memorabilia as part of The Jim Irsay Collection, which, while currently displaying items in cities like Nashville, Washington, D.C., Austin, and Los Angeles, hopes to house its selection in a permanent museum. According to Irsay, the Cobain family donated a portion of the guitar’s proceeds to Kicking the Stigma, the billionaire’s mental health initiative.
The “Smells Like Teen Spirit” guitar is the latest of Cobain’s items to be sold in recent years. The same auction marketed the late musician’s 1965 Dodge Dart, a painting he did of Michael Jackson, and a skateboard featuring hand-drawn imagery from Iron Maiden’s Killers album. Before that, the 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar Cobain played during Nirvana’s taping of MTV Unplugged sold for a record-breaking $6 million.
It’s OFFICIAL: The Kurt Cobain “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Fender Mustang guitar is now part of “The Collection” @IrsayCollection I am proud to be the steward. ?? pic.twitter.com/8zaPmKFkX2
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 22, 2022
I am grateful to the Cobain family for donating a portion of the auction proceeds to our Kicking the Stigma initiative on mental health. ?
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 22, 2022