It’s been 25 years since Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain died, but his ‘90s grunge wardrobe is still in high demand.
Cobain’s unwashed, cigarette-burned cardigan he wore during Nirvana’s iconic MTV Unplugged performance in 1993 has been scooped at an auction for over $488,000 AUD.
Rolling Stone reports that Kurt Cobain’s cardigan is missing a button, has two cigarette burns and a mysterious stain in one of its pockets, which according to the previous owner is “some kind of brown, crunchy something.” It reportedly smells like a “grandmother’s musty attic.”
According to BBC, Kurt Cobain’s cardigan is now the most expensive sweater ever sold at auction and was named “the holy grail of any article of clothing that [Cobain] ever wore” by auction president Darren Julian.
Apparently, the cardigan was gifted to the family’s nanny, Jackie Ferry, following Cobain’s death in 1994. She kept it unwashed and in a safety deposit box for two decades before bringing it to the auction house. Ferry said she also checked with Cobain’s widow Courtney Love and his daughter Frances Bean Cobain before selling it.
Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance was aired repeatedly after Cobain was found dead and was also turned into an album that received critical acclaim.
Also up for grabs at the auction were collectibles from Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Michael Jackson, Madonna as well as Cobain’s custom-made Fender Mustang guitar which he played during Nirvana’s In Utero tour. It was purchased at the auction for an equally-as-mind-blowing $498K AUD.
It’s not the first time a diehard fan has coughed up their life savings for a piece of celebrity memorabilia. Earlier this month, an avid Star Wars fan paid $3,154 AUD for the rat tail that Ewan McGregor wore when he played a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace.
Clearly, owning a piece of rock and roll history or an iconic film is a lucrative business – whether the item is brand spanking new or has seen better days.