The unwashed sweater Kurt Cobain wore during Nirvana's Unplugged performance sold for a substantial amount.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Kurt Cobain's unwashed cardigan sweater from the recording of Nirvana's famous MTV Unplugged performance would go up for auction. The last time the sweater sold, it was for $137,000. This time, however, the unwashed cardigan went for more than twice that amount, selling at an incredible $334,000 over weekend.
The sweater was sold by Julien's Auctions as part of their Icons & Idols: Rock 'N' Roll event this Friday, October 25, and Saturday, October 26, at the Hard Rock Cafe New York. Among the 700 items sold were belongings of The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Janis Joplin.
According to the auction house's Instagram, Cobain's sweater -- a Manhattan-brand garment described as “a blend of acrylic, mohair and Lycra with five-button closure (one button absent), with two exterior pockets, a burn hole and discoloration near left pocket and discoloration on right pocket” -- sold for a whopping $334,000.
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It also wasn't the only piece of Nirvana memorabilia that was auctioned off at a mind-blowing price. Cobain's left-handed Fender Mustang guitar, which was played by the frontman on the In Utero tour, sold for a massive $340,000 (which perhaps makes a little more sense for an instrument than it does a sweater).
According to Darren Julien of Julien's Auctions, rock memorabilia like Cobain's sweater is more of “an investment” today than a collector's item.
“It’s not just a collector’s market — it’s an investor’s market," said Julien. "The person that bought the sweater in 2015 bought it as an investment. Now, because we’ve been getting record prices for Kurt Cobain, people are starting to sell it. We anticipate that it will sell for more than double. I call it the new fine art market.”
The auctioning of the sweater was most likely scheduled to coincide with Unplugged's 25th anniversary next month, as well as the 25th anniversary vinyl reissue of Nirvana’s Unplugged album, which will be released on November 1 and is available for preorder.
