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Julien's Auctions

Kurt Cobain's cigarette-singed cardigan sells for €300,000

Cobain wore the cardigan during Nirvana’s 1993 Unplugged performance.

A QUARTER CENTURY after his death, Kurt Cobain’s iconic cigarette-singed cardigan worn during Nirvana’s 1993 “Unplugged” performance has sold for $334,000 (€301,000).

The tattered, olive-green, Manhattan-brand, button-up jumper, which has never been washed since Cobain wore it, came with dark stains and a burn hole.

The seller, Garrett Kletjian, owner of Forty7 Motorsports, bought it four years ago for $137,500 (€124,000). 

“This cardigan, it’s the holy grail of any article of clothing that he ever wore,” said Darren Julien, CEO and president of Julien’s Auctions.

“Kurt created the grunge look; he didn’t wear show clothes,” Julien told AFP at a New York exhibition preview.

NirvanaVEVO / YouTube

The auction house had predicted it would fetch $200,000-300,000.

MTV began its Unpluggedseries in 1989, recording live performances of acts that generally played their normally electrified music on sparse acoustics.

Cobain’s haunting Unplugged performance with Nirvana – recorded less than six months before his suicide at age 27 – is considered one of the most iconic shows of the series, and was released posthumously.

Cobain reportedly lamented to Unplugged programmer Amy Finnerty after the set that the audience seemed not to like the show.

“Kurt,” she told him, “they think you are Jesus Christ.”

Cobain’s left-handed Fender Mustang guitar, which he used during the band’s In Utero tour, sold for $340,000 (€307,000).

- © AFP 2019.

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    Mute Squiddley Diddley
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:18 PM

    I bet it smells like teen spirit.

    277
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    Mute shellakybooky
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    Oct 28th 2019, 12:53 AM

    @Squiddley Diddley … absolute legend! What a voice!

    5
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    Mute The digenous
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:37 PM

    If you were to throw it away,would it then become a Discardigan ???? Fine!!! I’ll nip off now.

    148
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    Mute Seaniecp
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:40 PM

    @The digenous: epic dad joke. Cheers . Hehehe

    44
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    Mute FrustratedASDMum
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    Oct 27th 2019, 1:16 PM

    @The digenous: Very good sir :)

    19
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    Mute JusticeForJoe
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    Oct 27th 2019, 2:46 PM

    @The digenous: Fantastic

    6
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    Mute Elaynehb
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:18 PM

    This is is gross display of wealth..buying a tattered cardigan worn by a long deceased musician. Honestly what are you gonna do with it!

    111
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    Mute STOIC SAVAGE
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:20 PM

    @Elaynehb: whinge, whinge, fackin whinge!!!

    170
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    Mute krae
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:23 PM

    @Elaynehb: do what the previous owner did, keep it and let it increase in value and then sell it for a profit! That’s how it works??

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    Mute Clifford Brennan
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:26 PM

    @Elaynehb: Shur you used to be able picked up something similar in eager beaver for a fiver!

    17
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    Mute Aine Power
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:35 PM

    @Elaynehb: your just a big moaner. At least he stayed true to his working class values.

    17
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    Mute Seaniecp
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:39 PM

    @Elaynehb: who cares. What do you buy. It’s just a different scale of wealth.

    17
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    Mute Mick Costello
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:56 PM

    @Elaynehb: prob like the previous owner sell it on for profit in a few years

    13
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    Mute Pat Farrelly
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    Oct 28th 2019, 12:27 AM

    @Elaynehb: Keep it. Put it on the market in ten years time when it will sell for a million dollars or more. Better than money in the bank.

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    Mute Dave Moran
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    Oct 28th 2019, 9:33 PM

    @Elaynehb: sell it again in a few years based on how much it’s gone up in the last few..

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    Mute Eugene Walsh
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:48 PM

    Just what kurt would not have wanted

    44
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    Mute Bopper Bops Holland
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    Oct 27th 2019, 1:04 PM

    @Eugene Walsh: whys that? He’d have bought some amount of gear for 300k!

    26
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    Mute Mr.Misery
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    Oct 28th 2019, 10:09 AM

    @Bopper Bops Holland: I think you totally misunderstand. He refused to be seen with anything that made him look rich. For example, when Courtney Love bought a very expensive Lexus, he made her return it. Do your research

    3
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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:28 PM

    I could get a better winter cardigan than that for 6 euro in a charity shop.

    29
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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:31 PM

    @Garreth Byrne: is that where you got that magical hat from!

    161
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    Mute Will
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    Oct 27th 2019, 1:10 PM

    I have a Nirvana guitar pick from Cork in ’91.
    Bidding starts at €100,000!
    Anyone?

    24
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    Mute darrenphughes
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    Oct 28th 2019, 7:28 AM

    @Will: Aren’t you the fella I bought the bridge from a few years back. Best value buy I ever made.

    1
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    Mute Rúairí O’ Sullivan
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    Oct 27th 2019, 12:59 PM

    Cigarettes?………yeah…..sure!

    18
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    Mute Ixtrix Net
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    Oct 27th 2019, 3:10 PM

    my sister still has the concert ticket, from i think 1992, when Nirvana were the support act for Sonic Youth

    16
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    Mute Stevie Doran
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    Oct 27th 2019, 3:14 PM

    Loads of hot rocks

    17
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    Mute Brian Conroy
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    Oct 27th 2019, 7:58 PM

    100% POLLYester

    12
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    Mute Rory Mackle
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    Oct 27th 2019, 1:12 PM

    Wonder what his underpants are worth

    13
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    Mute Pat Farrelly
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    Oct 28th 2019, 12:31 AM

    @Rory Mackle: Less than Courtney Love’s knickers are worth I would imagine!

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    Mute Jeni Moriarty
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    Oct 27th 2019, 1:14 PM

    Vanish would get that stain right out

    10
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    Mute STOIC SAVAGE
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    Oct 28th 2019, 8:47 AM

    @Jeni Moriarty: vanish gets rid of burns?? Who knew

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    Mute Ian Breathnach
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    Oct 27th 2019, 2:04 PM

    Fools and their money are easily parted.

    20
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    Mute Pat Butler
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    Oct 27th 2019, 3:03 PM

    @Ian Breathnach: don’t be bitchy

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    Mute Ixtrix Net
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    Oct 27th 2019, 3:56 PM

    i’ve a few fleece hoodies that have some suspicious craters from hot rock meteorites, starting the bidding at 40,000 euro, anyone?

    6
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    Mute Ronan Walsh
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    Oct 27th 2019, 5:34 PM

    Meanwhile in Scotland, an old man pays 20 pounds for Susan Boyles old underpants.

    7
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    Mute Ann Nugent
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    Oct 27th 2019, 5:11 PM

    Would it fit Bono?

    5
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    Mute Donie Keyes
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    Oct 27th 2019, 5:06 PM

    So his guitar was only worth 7000 more than the Penney’s cardigan ?

    5
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