Generating $94.5 million and 28 world records, The Jim Irsay Collection ranks as the most valuable memorabilia auction in history

Christie’s staged more than an auction last week. The Jim Irsay Collection blew through Rockefeller Center like a gale-force guitar solo, generating $94,484,903 and ranking as the largest total of any memorabilia auction in history. Every lot sold across four spirited days with totals nearing four times the low estimate and 28 world records set, including for the three most expensive guitars of all time.

The collection, a sprawling trove of music and pop culture objects assembled by Irsay, has reset expectations for what memorabilia can command and how audiences engage with it. The free exhibition that accompanied the sale drew thousands of impassioned fans and a portion of proceeds will be donated to philanthropic causes supported by Irsay during his lifetime.

‘This was a week the market will long remember,’ said Julien Pradels, the President of Christie’s Americas. ‘The palpable excitement and sustained applause in the saleroom, combined with the record-setting results, are a tribute to a great collector and a testament to the enduring resonance of our shared cultural icons.’

The top three guitars of all time

At the centre of the sale was a historic trifecta. In a single evening, Christie’s became the auction house to sell the three most expensive guitars in history. Leading the charge was David Gilmour’s Black Strat, which soared to $14,550,000 after a 20-minute bidding war and set an all-time record. Close behind came Jerry Garcia’s custom-built ‘Tiger’ guitar at $11,560,000, followed by Kurt Cobain’s Fender Mustang, famously used in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video, at $6,907,000.

Each instrument represents a defining voice in modern music, and together they transformed the auction into a landmark moment for the market.

A Hall of Fame crescendo

While guitars dominated the headlines, the strongest results reflected a broader appetite for cultural artifacts. The marquee Hall of Fame evening sale generated $84,091,350 and was 100 percent sold by lot. These works proved that bidders weren’t simply acquiring items, they were competing for touchstones of cultural history.

Jack Kerouac’s original scroll manuscript for On the Road set a world record for a literary manuscript at $12,135,000. Beatles-related items earned several records and drew multimillion-dollar bids across multiple objects. John Lennon’s Broadwood Upright Piano set a record for Beatles memorabilia, selling for $3,247,000, while Ringo Starr’s Beatles ‘Drop T’ logo drum head earned $2,881,000 and George Harrison’s Gibson SG Standard achieved $2,271,000.

A record for lyrics was also set by Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics for The Times They Are a Changin’, sold for $2,515,000, as well as for an Eric Clapton guitar, with his 1939 Martin 000-42 earning $4,101,000.

Additional records were set for objects owned by legends such as Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

Memorabilia momentum

The momentum extended beyond the marquee evening sale to include three additional auctions. Spanning pop culture and music, the sales continued to outperform expectations and achieve full sell-through.

The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of Pop Culture went almost four times past its low estimate, earning $6,472,301 and selling 100 percent by lot. The top lot, another Jack Kerouac manuscript, was his typescript scroll for The Dharma Bums that realised $1,651,000, more than five times the low estimate.

The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of Music totalled $3,181,604, selling 144 percent of the low estimate and 100 percent by lot, while The Jim Irsay Collection: Online earned $739,064, 141 percent of the low estimate and 100 percent sold by lot.

These landmark sales proved the importance of objects that are inextricably tied to defining cultural moments. Additional items from American history will also be offered in a dedicated auction, The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of History, happening on July 1st. More information will be shared later this year.

28 world records at a glance

• For a Fender Stratocaster: David Gilmour’s “Black Strat” $14,550,000

• For David Gilmour: David Gilmour’s “Black Strat” $14,550,000

• For Kurt Cobain: Fender Mustang used in Smells Like Teen Spirit video $6,907,000

• For Jerry Garcia: Custom-built Doug Irwin guitar “Tiger” $11,560,000

• For an Irwin Guitar: Jerry Garcia’s custom-built “Tiger” $11,560,000

• For any Beatles object: John Lennon’s Broadwood Upright Piano $3,247,000

• For George Harrison: a Gibson ‘SG’ Standard $2,271,000

• For drums: Ringo Starr’s First Ludwig kit $2,393,000

• For a drumhead: Ringo Starr’s Beatles ‘Drop T’ logo drum head used in The Ed Sullivan Show $2,881,000

• For Ringo Starr: Beatles ‘Drop T’ logo drum head used in The Ed Sullivan Show $2,881,000

• For Eric Clapton: the 1939 Martin 000-42 $4,101,000

• For a Gibson guitar: Eric Clapton’s Gibson SG ‘The Fool’ $3,003,000

• For a literary manuscript: Original Typescript Scroll for On the Road $12,135,000

• For Jim Morrison: a Jim Morrison handwritten notebook $266,700

• For a microphone: Jim Morrison’s Electro-Voice microphone, used circa 1968-1970 $120,650

• For lyrics: Bob Dylan handwritten lyrics for The Times They Are a Changin’ $2,515,000

• For a guitar owned by a female musician: Janis Joplin’s Gibson J-45 $381,000

• For a Saxophone: John Coltrane’s prototype Yamaha Nippon Gakki Alto Saxophone $431,800

• For a Trumpet: Miles Davis Martin Committee Trumpet $1,651,000

• For Miles Davis: Martin Committee Trumpet $1,651,000

• For any horseracing object: Secretariat race-used 1973 Triple Crown saddle $1,524,000

• For a Recording Industry Association of America award: The Beatles I Want To Hold Your Hand $158,750

• For a Don McLean guitar: a Martin 00-21 used on his 1972 hit single Vincent $234,950

• For any Fleetwood Mac object: John McVie’s custom Alembic fretless bass guitar $177,800

• For a Lou Reed guitar: stage-played custom shop Fender Telecaster, known as ‘Goldie’ $330,200

• For a copy of Bill Wilson’s Alcoholics Anonymous $40,640