Key Points
- A left‑handed Fender Mustang guitar played by American rock icon Kurt Cobain in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video will be auctioned in New York in March 2026
- The instrument is part of the prestigious Jim Irsay collection and could fetch up to $5 million because of its cultural and musical significance
- Nevermind, the breakthrough 1991 album by Cobain’s band Nirvana, helped bring grunge rock into the mainstream worldwide.
ISLAMABAD: A prized instrument owned and played by Kurt Cobain, the late American singer‑songwriter and guitarist who helped define 1990s rock, is set to go on the auction block in New York this March, Christie’s auction house has announced.
The guitar, a left-handed 1969 Fender Mustang in Competition Lake Placid blue, was featured in the music video for Smells Like Teen Spirit, the breakout hit from the 1991 album that transformed popular music.
The instrument is part of the highly regarded Jim Irsay collection and could fetch as much as $5 million at auction, reflecting both its provenance and its place in music history.
For readers unfamiliar with the context, Nevermind is the second studio album by Nirvana, Cobain’s band, an American rock group from Seattle.
The record brought a raw, emotional style of alternative rock known as grunge into the global mainstream, changing the sound of popular music in the early 1990s.
Smells Like Teen Spirit, its most recognised single, became an anthem for a generation and remains one of the most iconic rock songs ever recorded.
Cobain, known for his songwriting and charismatic performances, played the Fender Mustang left‑handed, a relatively rare configuration, which, along with the guitar’s direct association with one of rock’s defining moments, makes it particularly desirable to collectors.
The upcoming auction offers music fans and memorabilia enthusiasts the rare chance to own a piece of rock history intimately connected to a milestone in global pop culture.
