A Harry Styles-signed electric guitar sold for US$19,200 on Sunday in Los Angeles, hours before his surprise album of the year win at the Grammy Awards.
The 2022 black Fender Player Series Stratocaster electric guitar was inscribed by Styles with the words “Always love” beside a doodle of heart in a gold marker. Styles’ album Harry’s House defeated Beyoncé’s Renaissance and eight other nominees to win the album of the year at music’s most prestigious awards show on Sunday night.
The guitar was valued between US$2,000 and US$4,000, prior to the auction.
The instrument was among 50 items owned or signed by the music’s biggest stars that were auctioned by Julien’s Auctions over the weekend to raise funds for MusiCares, which supports the health and welfare of members of the music community.
The auction house, which was expecting to raise between US$200,000 and US$400,000 from this sale, said the sale realized more than US$500,000. Many items sold multiple times their pre-sale estimates.
“This year’s edition was one of our best and most successful auctions to date,” according to Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions.
A pair of white Nike Air Max sneakers owned, worn, and signed by Eminem sold for US$40,625.
Julien’s Auctions
The top-selling lot was a pair of white Nike Air Max sneakers owned, worn, and signed by Eminem, which sold for US$40,625, which was 20 times its presale estimate. The sneakers were sold to Margaritavillain, an anonymous rapper who’s often compared to Banksy of the contemporary art world. His fans raised money through a GoFundMe page to help him successfully bid and win the shoes, according to Julien’s.
An ensemble worn by J-Hope of South Korean boy band BTS, including a black utility-style jumpsuit, a buckle belt, a black cotton T-shirt, and a black ribbed bunny ear beanie, attracted 22 bids and sold for US$21,875, more than 10 times its original estimate of US$2,000.
Additionally, a 2020 Epiphone DR-100EB acoustic guitar signed by Taylor Swift fetched US$25,000, five times its original estimate. The guitar features custom graphics from Swift’s Grammy-nominated album evenmore.
Credit: marketwatch.com