The guitar that the late Kurt Cobain played on Nirvana's iconic MTV Unplugged performance in 1993 is going up for auction next month through Julien's Auctions. The 1959 Martin D-18E guitar comes complete with case and is expected to fetch around $1 million.
Darren Julien, president and CEO of the auction house, said in a statement, “This important guitar has earned its rightful place in rock & roll history as the instrument played by one of rock's most influential musicians and icons in one of the greatest and most memorable live performances of all time.”
The legendary axe was previously owned by Cobain's daughter Frances Bean Cobain, who lost it in a divorce settlement with her ex-husband Isaiah Silva in 2018. Silva claimed it was gifted to him by Frances as a wedding present, and she reportedly decided to part with it to avoid any further legal battles with him.
The auction will take place in Beverly Hills, California and online, on June 19th and 20th. Kurt Cobain's famous green cardigan, which he wore for the band's MTV Unplugged taping, sold for $334,000 at auction last October.