Move over, Beatlemania—Nirvanamania is where it’s at now. Case in point: A pair of personal Kurt Cobain items went up for auction over the weekend, and both pulled in some serious cash.
The big prize was a cardigan sweater Cobain sported in Nirvana‘s final photoshoot. It happened in the summer of 1993 with photographer Jesse Frohman, as the band was preparing for the release of In Utero. The Nirvana frontman’s notorious stomach issues almost derailed the session entirely.
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“The shoot was meant to take place in Central Park in New York City, but due to Cobain being sick just hours before, the shoot was relocated to the basement of the hotel where the band was staying,” Julien’s Auctions noted of the sweater. “Cobain showed up three hours late to the shoot, and immediately asked for a bucket due to his nausea.”
The history of the sweater’s travels is somewhat murky. Julien’s noted that it was given to a friend at Cobain’s funeral, but there’s no indication as to how it ended up on auction. With $75,000 being the final bid, the sweater went for more than double the original estimate.
SOLD for $75,000! A cardigan worn by #KurtCobain in his last photoshoot with #Nirvana taken in the summer of 1993 with photographer Jesse Frohman. SOLD TODAY in our “Music Icons” #memorabilia #auction @HardRockCafeNYC and online at https://t.co/TiME89MqlX! https://t.co/ahsXX3qbxg pic.twitter.com/mZmHg7wtig
— Juliens Auctions (@JuliensAuctions) May 18, 2019
The sweater wasn’t the only Nirvana-related item to hit the auction block. Also up for grabs was a concert setlist handwritten by Cobain on a paper plate soaked in pizza grease. The 1990 set from the 9:30 Club in D.C. is peppered with Bleach favorites including “Love Buzz,” “About a Girl,” and “Blew.” The show also included some pre-release versions of Nevermind tracks “In Bloom” and “Polly.” The pizza plate setlist was sold for $22,400. See it below.
SOLD for 22,400! A used paper plate with a #Nirvana set list handwritten by #KurtCobain at the 9:30 nightclub in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 1990.
SOLD TODAY in our “Music Icons” #memorabilia #auction @HardRockCafeNYC and online at https://t.co/TiME89MqlX! #1990s #90s pic.twitter.com/MzumBjq15G
— Juliens Auctions (@JuliensAuctions) May 18, 2019
