Not many talked about music memorabilia at the beginning of the 21st century. Sure, there were some collectors, but the hype and global interest have never been as high as today. The reason is simple – everyone can relate to music memorabilia. We all listen to music, and we all have our favourites. You don’t need to be knowledgeable to understand and appreciate an item, whatever it may be, that’s connected to your favourite singer.
See also: From Haydn to Hip-Hop: Music for Collectors
See also: Worth Millions: Behind the Appeal of Celebrity Memorabilia
It's funny, isn’t it? An item that normally is worth $100 could be worth $100,000 if the provenance is remarkable. One could argue that it is irrational, but on the other hand, when you think about it, it is actually reasonable. It is indeed understandable that eyeglasses that have been owned and worn by John Lennon or Mahatma Gandhi are worth £100,000+, while the eyeglasses would otherwise have a price tag of perhaps £50 if you found them in an antique store. And why is it reasonable? Well, Lennon and Gandhi are two of the most iconic and influential figures of the 20th century, and they are both often seen wearing eyeglasses in images. Even socks worn by Elvis Presley have a high value. Not six figures, but indeed a couple of hundreds, or maybe even £1,000. The socks may be in bad condition and undoubtedly not significant for Presley from a historical point of view. Yet, they are strongly connected to him, hence the somewhat high value.
See also: The Iconic Shades of Elvis
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Sotheby’s headlined their Rock & Roll auction on 18 April with Eddie Van Halen’s 'Hot For Teacher' Guitar. With a starting price of $1,800,000, the guitar was auctioned with a reserve and ended up at $3,932,000 (about £3,152,800), including the buyer’s premium, which makes it the fourth most expensive guitar ever sold. It is the most expensive Eddie Van Halen guitar, and that is not a surprise since it is undoubtedly the most iconic guitar of his. Van Halen began playing with Kramer guitars during the early 1980s and was constantly associated with the brand as it became his trademark. The guitar in question was made by guitar maker Paul Unkert, and it was the first ever rear-loaded striped Kramer guitar that Eddie Van Halen owned. It was delivered to Eddie at the beginning of 1983 and was his main guitar during 1983 and 1984 – the golden years of his career. The guitar is most famous for being played in the iconic 'Hot For Teacher' music video from 1984.
See also: Kurt Cobain’s Guitar Sells for £4.8 Million
Looking at the list of the most expensive guitars ever sold, it’s unsurprising to see all-time greats such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. The most expensive guitar is, however, Kurt Cobain’s 'MTV Unplugged' Martin D- 18E guitar, which went for $6 million (£4.8 million) in 2020; followed by another Kurt Cobain guitar, the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' that sold for $4.5 million (£3.6 million) in 2022. Both the Cobain guitars were auctioned by Julien’s Auctions.
