Prince's Guitar, Kurt Cobain's Self-Portrait, and Other Items Bring in Nearly $5M at Auction

Have you ever wondered what happens to celebritys' custom-made items after they're done with them? Well, some of them end up at Julien's Auctions, where they're sold for incredible amounts of money. Recently, in a 3-day auction, some wildly famous items sold for a whopping total of about $5M!

For starters, the stunning Yamaha Elton John Signature Series C-1 Baby Grand Piano sold over the weekend for a massive price tag - $150,000! Not only does it have the sentimental value of once being owned by the music icon, but it was also signed before switching hands to its new owner.

Next on the docket was the 1994 blue Cloud guitar that Prince had commissioned years ago. Back in the day, the pretty price tag was estimated to be $60,000; however, at Julien's Auction, it sold for nearly 5 times that amount. That's right! The bold instrument sold and changed owners for $281,250.

Some think that if a drawing is good, it should be hung on the fridge. Well, the buyer of Kurt Cobain's self-portrait, drawn during Nirvana's 1992 promotional tour, bought this sketch for an amazing 281,250! According to the auctioneers, that's about 28 times its original value of $10,000, and we can bet it'll make the fridge.

If you were surprised by Cobain's item selling for the amount it did, you might be even more shocked to find out that Alex Van Halen's custom Ludwig drum kit sold for less than the doodle. In fact, this shining set sold for $230,400. Now, this is no dull penny, but for it to sell for less than a piece of paper? Amazing!

Speaking of paper, another item on the auction list belonged to Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Taupin handwrote and signed a lyric sheet for John's top hit, "Candle in the Wind." It was entered into the auction, and in a wonderful outcome, the song sheets sold for $76,800.

These items, and about 1,000 other instruments, wardrobe pieces, memorabilia, and more, brought in about $5M in profits. This was likely due to their prior owners, those mentioned and Cher, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and even Tupac Shakur. To see what else sold at Julien's Music Icons 2021 auction, head to their site!