Trending Now - David Gilmour's Legendary Guitar Breaks Auction Record at $14.6M
WHO:
David Gilmour, musician and member of Pink Floyd
Jim Irsay, owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts
Jerry Garcia, musician and member of the Grateful Dead
Christie’s, auction house
WHAT:
David Gilmour's "Black Strat" sold for $14.6 million at auction, making it the most expensive guitar ever sold.
Jerry Garcia's guitar "Tiger" fetched $11.6 million at the auction.
Christie’s had estimated that Gilmour's guitar would sell in the range of $2 million to $3 million.
Other items sold from the Irsay collection included a piano owned by John Lennon ($3.2 million), a drum set owned by Ringo Starr ($2.4 million), and Sylvester Stallone’s handwritten script for Rocky ($508,000).
Jerry Garcia’s guitar “Tiger” fetched $11.56 million at the auction.
The auction included a series of sales billed as “One of the greatest troves of memorabilia ever assembled.”
A portion of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to philanthropic causes supported by Jim Irsay during his lifetime.
David Gilmour's "Black Strat" guitar sold for $14.55 million at auction.
The sale marked the most expensive guitar ever sold, surpassing the $6 million sale of Kurt Cobain's 1959 Martin D-18E in 2020.
Gilmour's guitar was used in the recording of Pink Floyd albums including The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979).
The guitar was estimated to fetch between $2 million and $4 million prior to the auction.
Jerry Garcia's guitar "Tiger" sold for $11.56 million.
The auction included a series of sales billed as "One of the greatest troves of memorabilia ever assembled."
WHERE:
The auction took place at Christie’s in New York.
The Jim Irsay Collection auction runs from March 3rd to March 17th, 2026.
WHEN:
Jim Irsay died in May 2025.
The article was updated on March 12th, 2026, at 11:42 p.m. ET to indicate the full price, including auction fees, for David Gilmour’s ‘Black Strat’ reflected on the Christie’s website.
The auction for the "Black Strat" occurred on March 12th, 2026.
Jim Irsay first bought the "Black Strat" at auction at Christie’s in June 2019 for $5.245 million.
WHY:
Gilmour auctioned the guitar as part of a charity effort, stating, “These guitars have been very good to me... I just think it’s time that they went off and served someone else.”
HOW:
The auction was part of "The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of Popular Culture" live auction series.
(UPDATED March 14, 2026 05:21 UTC)
In a stunning auction event, David Gilmour's iconic "Black Strat" guitar sold for a record-breaking $14.6 million, making it the most expensive guitar ever sold, while Jerry Garcia's "Tiger" guitar also made headlines with a sale price of $11.6 million. Christie's had initially estimated Gilmour's guitar would go for between $2 million and $3 million, highlighting the unexpected demand for these legendary instruments. Other notable items from the auction included a piano once owned by John Lennon that fetched $3.2 million, a drum set from Ringo Starr for $2.4 million, and Sylvester Stallone's handwritten script for Rocky, which sold for $508,000.
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(UPDATED March 14, 2026 01:25 UTC)
Jerry Garcia’s iconic guitar, known as “Tiger,” sold for an impressive $11.56 million at a recent auction that featured what many are calling one of the greatest collections of memorabilia ever assembled. A portion of the proceeds from this sale will be donated to philanthropic causes championed by Jim Irsay throughout his life. The auction details were updated on March 12, 2026, to reflect the full price, including fees, for David Gilmour’s famous ‘Black Strat’ on the Christie’s website.
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(UPDATED March 13, 2026 23:08 UTC)
In a remarkable auction at Christie’s in New York, David Gilmour's iconic "Black Strat" guitar sold for a staggering $14.55 million, making it the most expensive guitar ever sold, surpassing Kurt Cobain's previous record of $6 million. The auction, which is part of Jim Irsay's collection running until March 17, also saw Jerry Garcia's guitar "Tiger" fetch $11.56 million, showcasing a treasure trove of music memorabilia. Gilmour, who used the guitar in classic Pink Floyd albums, auctioned it as part of a charity effort, expressing that it was time for the instrument to serve someone else.