Last week an auction featuring guitars and objects owned by David Gilmour, the lead singer and guitarist for Pink Floyd, had an incredible 100% sell-through rate and is going down in the books as the most valuable contemporary musical instrument sale in auction history!
In the months leading up to the auction, thousands of fans made reservations to view the sale in London, New York, and Los Angeles. In addition, over half a million people viewed the sale online, and the day of the sale did not disappoint. A record number of people packed the auction room (the sale started an hour late in order to accommodate the line of people trying to get into the saleroom), and more than 2,000 bidders around the world registered to bid. There were 126 guitars offered and topping the chart was a 1969 Black Fender Stratocaster that Gilmour used while recording many of Pink Floyd’s greatest albums including The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon. Estimated to make $110-150K, it rocked the house when it sold for $3.975M (w/p)!! Also making a big hit was a 1954 White Fender Stratocaster (stamped with the serial number 0001) that Gilmore played during the recording of Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), it sold for $1.815M (w/p) on a $100-150K estimate. Rounding out the top three was a 1969 C.F. Martin & Company acoustic guitar that was only estimated to bring $10-20K; the guitar set a record price for a Martin guitar as it sold for $1.095M!!
When all was said and done, the total result was a really incredible $21.5M and to top it all off, the proceeds are being donated to ClientEarth, an organization focused on tackling climate change and protecting nature.