Kurt Cobain MTV Unplugged 1959 Martin D-18E Guitar
- Maker
- Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
- Year
- 1959
- Rank
- 10 of 100
Kurt Cobain MTV Unplugged 1959 Martin D-18E Guitar
Kurt Cobain MTV Unplugged 1959 Martin D-18E Guitar by Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) (1959) is ranked 10 in the FLOAT 100 for Memorabilia. It sold for $6,010,000 on 20 June 2020. The most expensive guitar ever sold at auction; the apex grunge relic.
What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?
The most expensive guitar ever sold at auction; the apex grunge relic.
1959 Martin D-18E acoustic with added Bartolini pickup; played at Nirvana's 1993 MTV Unplugged
What is the best-sourced number for it?
- Figure
- $6,010,000
- Kind
- Realized at auction
- Date
- 20 June 2020
Julien's Auctions, 'Music Icons'. $6.01M; bought by RODE founder Peter Freedman.
This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.
How this is made
- The figure
- One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
- Realized or not
- A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
- Why no grade ladder
- Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
- Archive
- 2026-08-08