Smells like American Spirits. An unopened pack of cigarettes previously owned by Kurt Cobain is among a batch of recent Nirvana items up for sale via Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills.
At the time of publishing this article, there are 11 bids placed for the pack of American Spirit menthols — the highest bid being $4,000. In the item’s listing, Julien’s writes that the pack was saved by Cobain’s roommate at the Los Angeles Exodus Recovery Center, where he stayed in March of 1994 shortly before his passing. The starting bid was $200. Update: The final auction price was $5,200.
Among Cobain’s other belongings in the Nirvana sale are his stage-played “Skystang” Fender guitar; a sweater; a smashed and signed Fender stratocaster; a pair of Levi’s he wore in the “Heart-Shaped Box” music video; and more.
According to Reuters, Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E guitar previously broke the world record for a guitar sale at $6 million in 2020. Julien’s estimates that Cobain’s Skystang will reach a projected $1 million to $2 million final bid.
The Nirvana sale is a part of Julien’s ongoing live sale “PLAYED, WORN, & TORN: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ICONIC GUITARS AND MEMORABILIA” — which includes memorabilia from names like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Queen, and more. You can browse the selection by artist here.
Last month, Nirvana’s In Utero got a new deluxe reissue to coincide with the album’s 30th anniversary. Michael Azerrad’s 1993 book about the band, Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, also recently received a new super-expanded” edition.
