Over the weekend a music auction made headlines by selling an acoustic guitar used by John Lennon for $2.4 million. But an undercard item that sold for much less has gotten nearly as much attention: The green-ish Kurt Cobain cardigan that the Nirvana frontman wore during the grunge band’s iconic MTV Unplugged session in 1993.
Worn a few short months before Cobain’s suicide, the sweater sold at auction for $137,500, according to Rolling Stone.
The Manhattan brand cardigan — worn in, faded, and missing a button — was expected to fetch around $60,000 at the sale, conducted by Beverly Hills-based Julien’s Auctions. The item’s description read: “…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, size medium.”
Julien’s said the sweater was obtained from a friend of the Cobain family, according to Seattle’s King 5 News.
In addition to Lennon’s original 1962 J-160E Gibson Acoustic guitar and Cobain’s sweater, the other items up for bid were a Ludwig bass drumhead used on Ringo Starr’s drum kit for The Beatles’ 1964 debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show (sold for $2.05 million), a lock of Cobain’s hair (“not clear if sold,” according to reports), and memorabilia from Elvis, Johnny Cash, Madonna, and Lady Gaga.
Here’s the cardigan:
