British daily, The Guardian, and other sources report that at a recent two-day auction of rock memorabilia at Hard Rock Cafe, New York by Julien’s Auctions, the cardigan that the late Kurt Cobain wore during Nirvana’s appearance on MTV Unplugged has sold for $334,000.
The auctioneers described it as, “one of the most famous sweaters in music history,” which it certainly might be, as it is, as The Guardian puts it, “the most expensive sweater to go under the hammer.”
Kobain wore the olive green Manhattan brand acrylic and mohair cardigan during the two MTV Unplugged sessions recorded at Sony Music Studios in front of a live audience five months before Cobain killed himself on April 5, 1994. As another British daily (Independent) notes, Nirvana’s tour manager Alex McLeod told the Guitar World magazine in 2008, “Kurt wanted something that would break away from just the normal, dull TV set.”
By comparison, a custom Fender guitar built-in 1993 that Cobain used during the band’s In Utero tour was also sold, raising $340,000. Accompanying the guitar was a handwritten letter signed by his wife Courtney Love Cobain, stating that this was one of Cobain’s favorite instruments.
This same auction also featured more than 700 items owned and used by stars including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Queen, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix.
