Kurt Cobain’s acoustic guitar from Nirvana’s ‘Unplugged’ performance headed to auction

By Music News Group May 11, 2020 | 9:45 AM

Julien’s AuctionsThe acoustic guitar Kurt Cobain played during Nirvana‘s legendary 1993 MTV Unplugged performance is headed to auction.

Julien’s Auctions will be selling the 1959 Martin D-18E guitar during its Music Icons event, taking place June 19-20 in Beverly Hills, California and online. The starting estimated price for the instrument is $1 million.

Should you win the auction, you’ll also receive the guitar’s original hard-shell case adorned with several stickers and baggage claim tickets, as well as a trio of Cobain’s guitar picks and a half-used package of strings.

Beyond its significance for being Cobain’s Unplugged guitar, you may also remember that the 1959 Martin D-18E was at the center of a bitter divorce battle between Kurt’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, and her ex-husband, Isaiah Silva. Silva had claimed that Cobain gave him the guitar as a gift, which she denied. According to TMZ, Silva ended up keeping the guitar as part of the former couple’s divorce settlement.

For more information on the auction, visit JuliensAuctions.com.