Kurt Cobain’s Sweater Sells for $75K at Auction

Also, a greasy pizza plate with a Nirvana setlist handwritten by Cobain pulled in more than $22,000.
Kurt Cobain’s Sweater Sells for $75K at Auction

Also, a greasy pizza plate with a Nirvana setlist handwritten by Cobain pulled in more than $22,000.

Words: Scott T. Sterling

photo by Chris Cuffaro 

May 20, 2019

Photo by Chris Cuffaro

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.

RELATED: Happy Pixies’ “Doolittle” Day! 

“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.

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.