“Jim Irsay was an incredible collector with an eye for rare treasures”: Details emerge of the historic guitars in the Jim Irsay Collection auction – including David Gilmour’s Black Strat and Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang

Christie’s has just announced the details of the historic sale of the Jim Irsay Collection. Widely regarded as the greatest guitar collection on Earth, it will be auctioned off in a series of sales in 2026.

Compiled over decades by the late billionaire businessman and owner/CEO of the Indianapolis Colts, the Jim Irsay Collection has achieved a mythical status, as it includes some of the most famous acoustic and electric guitars to ever exist.

“Jim Irsay was an incredible collector with an eye for rare treasures tied to the most important moments in our collective history,” explains Christie’s Americas President, Julien Pradels.

“It is a privilege to offer this renowned collection at Christie’s, giving collectors and visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view, be inspired by, and bid on these objects.”

Highlights include David Gilmour‘s “Black Strat,” Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit 1966 Fender Mustang, Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger” guitar, John Lennon’s 1963 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120, George Harrison’s stage-played Gibson SG, and Eric Clapton’s MTV Unplugged 1939 Martin 000-42.

The once-in-a-generation auction will kick off with almost 400 items, tracing pivotal moments in music, film, sports, pop culture, and, of course, guitar, history, over four auctions from March 3 to March 18 – alongside a free, public exhibition at Christie’s New York from March 6 to March 12.

For more information, head to Christie’s.

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.