It was a historic day on June 20th when David Gilmour, guitarist and vocalist for Pink Floyd, sold around 120 of his guitars through Christie’s in New York to the tune of just over $21 million. There were 126 lots auctioned off with the proceeds going to the non profit organization Client Earth in hopes of helping out the battle against Climate Change. (Don’t think that’s happening? Upset by money going towards something like that? Too damn bad! Maybe you can scrape together over $20 million and put it towards something YOU believe in then). I know, I know, you probably are thinking 126 lots?? I thought the Black Strat was lot 127?! Good eye! You are correct. Lot number 4 had to be removed from the auction. It was a sitar that had parts made of ivory which the US has restrictions on importing into the country.
Being the gigantic Pink Floyd and David Gilmour fan that I am, I had this date circled on my calendar ever since he announced the auction back in January. I registered with Christies in hopes of bidding on something… ANYTHING I might be able to afford. After purchasing the Christie’s book (See below) detailing each lot in the auction I was excited by the estimates of several of the guitars being in the $500 range. Hey! I can afford something like that!
At the official start time of the auction the Christies website was unable to handle all of the people trying to log on to view and/or bid on the auction. I had been able to get logged in to bid on my phone and heard the auctioneer say that the auction was being pushed back 15 minutes to accommodate the throngs of people who were lined up around the block in New York still trying to get in. 20 minutes later, another announcement from them. This time it was, “Rock and Roll is never on time” and that it would still be another 15 to 20 minutes until the start of the auction. It finally got under way an hour later than the expected start time.
The first lot of the auction? A 1966 Fender Stratocaster.
Right off the bat… I started losing hope that I might be able to afford something in this auction. Christie’s estimated this guitar would bring in $10-15,000, and the winning bid was… $340,000.
The very next lot in the auction was the 1969 Martin D-35 which was used heavily in the recording of “Wish You Were Here.”
It was estimated to bring in $20,000 and ended up with a winning bid of $900,000. Quick note: the winning bid prices do not include an extra premium the buyer pays. That premium pushed this guitar over the $1 million mark.
It’s my assumption that Christie’s guitar expert(s) who came up with these estimates knew they were on the low side. I’m guessing the estimates were simply what just the instrument itself was worth by itself as if it had no connection to history or fame.
Despite my deflating hopes of being able to afford a guitar in this auction, I watched and kept track of each sale. The next major highlight came with lot 20. It was tied for the most expensive estimated price in the auction. This one was the 1954 White Fender Stratocaster with serial number 0001.
This was not the very first Stratocaster, but likely an instrument made directly by Leo Fender for a special individual. This guitar and the 1969 Fender Stratocaster known as “The Black Strat” were the two most talked about and anticipated guitars of the auction. The 0001 strat ended up with a winning bid of $1.5 million.
Later in the auction was a 1976 Ovation acoustic guitar that had been used by Roger Waters on Pink Floyd’s The Wall Tour.
When describing the guitar the auctioneer said, “Used by Roger Walters on the Wall Tour.” Immediately there was a huge response from the audience at the mispronunciation of the name. Clearly, the auctioneer really did not have any clue as to what she had done, because she again referred to Roger as “Roger Walters.” People then yelled, “WATERS!” She tried to blame the person who had put the notes together for her and that it was a typo. Who knows? Haha, but obviously she was not an avid Pink Floyd fan who actually knew the score. At any rate, the guitar ended up with a winning bid of $120,000.
The guitar I would actually have wanted to buy if money were no object was lot 56. The Red Strat.
In the early 80s Gilmour somewhat retired his Black Strat, and replaced it with a 1984 candy apple red Fender Stratocaster that he would use throughout the 80s and 90s. My affinity for this guitar is because it was used on the album which got me into Pink Floyd… 1987’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Estimates for the guitar went up to $25,000 and the winning bid was well in excess of that at $500,000.
Shortly after that came the acoustic guitar that had been estimated around $500 and that I hoped I might be able to bid on.
It was played by Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople during David Gilmour’s 1984 About Face tour. Once again the estimate was WAY off. This one sold for $35,000. So much for my plans of possibly affording a guitar in the auction!
Despite that, when lot 89 came up, a 1999 Takamine Acoustic guitar… bidding began at a mere $600.
I jumped at the chance to actually push the BID button. At this point in time, the auction had been going around 6 hours or so. Though the camera never showed the people in attendance at Christie’s… clearly some people were getting impatient as they waited for lot 127 (The Black Strat). A certain gentleman to the auctioneers right side began trying to hurry up the bidding process by jumping up the bids very early to around $20,000. Unbeknownst to me… at the very time I was pushing “Bid” on my phone to bid $800, he had jumped the bid to $22,000. My pushing the bid button locked a bid in for me of… $24,000. It didn’t sink in until the auctioneer said, “And now a bid of $24,000 from Nebraska.” What?! A moment of panic came over me (although no guitar in this auction had sold for anything below $30,000). I shuddered to think what I would tell my wife if I spent $24,000 on a guitar! What was only seconds seemed like an eternity as I yelled at my phone, “Someone go to 26! Give her a $26,000 bid!!!” Finally someone did, and eventually the winning bid came in at $35,000. Whew, that was a close one.
The day eventually came to a close with the final few lots. Lot 126, the Pink Floyd road case in which the Black Strat travelled during the Wall Tour. Estimated to bring in $1-2,000, the winning bid was $140,000.
Finally… The Black Strat arrived to the auction block.
It quickly surpassed the $1 million mark… and then the $2 million mark. It became a bidding war between (I believe) the impatient gentleman I mentioned above, and another person in the room in New York who was to the auctioneers left side. The gentleman on the left had the winning bid of $3.3 million. After premiums the price became $3.9 million and set the record for the most money spent on a guitar.
As it turns out, the buyer of the Black Strat, was the same person who bought the Pink Floyd road case, and the million dollar “Wish You Were Here” Martin D-35. That person? Jim Irsay… the owner of the Indianapolis Colts.
In the months leading up to this auction, David Gilmour had expressed hope that these instruments would go on to someone who would play them, and make music. Maybe Jim Irsay plays the guitar, maybe he doesn’t. My guess is he bought these just as collectors items. More power to him, and it’s great he forked out a ton of dough to a good cause… but It’s kind of a shame he bought them when he really doesn’t appear to have any actual knowledge of David Gilmour. He tweeted out that he was sending David an autographed Andrew Luck Jersey. Number 75. He said it’s because David Gilmour is now 75 years old. No sir. David Gilmour is 73. Close, but no Cigar. But hey! Come in here dear Jim Irsay, Have a Cigar! You’ve already gone far! You fired Peyton Manning afterall! Haha.
All in all, a pretty historic day. I was glad to have witnessed it. Slightly bummed I couldn’t afford any of the items (as I would actually play and use them unlike many of the bidders I surmise). But… I CAN say that I put in an actual bid of $24,000 (that was acknowledged by the auctioneer) on a guitar.
-Bickham
