More than 25 years after it made its famous appearance on Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance, the cardigan worn by Kurt Cobain has been sold for almost $500,000.
When it comes to famous pieces of clothing worn by musicians, there’s plenty to choose from. Why, right off the bat you’ve got famous outfits like Angus Young’s schoolboy uniform, Slash’s top hat, or Prince’s iconic purple stagewear.
However, for those in the grunge era, nothing brings you back into those heady days of fuzzy guitars than the idea of seeing Kurt Cobain in a cardigan.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the iconic cardigan worn by Kurt Cobain on Nirvana’s 1994 MTV Unplugged session was set to go up for auction again, as unwashed as the day it was first worn.
An iconic piece of clothing, the cardigan is in fact one of the last outfits most fans saw Cobain wearing, with the performance being broadcast in December of 1993, mere months before his untimely passing.
Check out Nirvana performing ‘About A Girl’:
Speaking to Rolling Stone recently, seller Garret Kletjian (himself a professional race car team owner) explained that he bought the item in 2015 for US $137,500.
After the sweater arrived in Kletjian’s possession, “I opened it up and it immediately hits me: ‘Oh, now I’m also going to be responsible for this,’” he revealed. “It was kind of like when my children were born years ago; I was so happy to see them, but then I was like, ‘Oh no…’
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“I look at that sweater from a different perspective than maybe some people do,” he added. “He was obviously in a bad way at the time. I look at this sweater as something that he put on every day. It was comfortable and it was familiar.
“So I liked the idea that, while he might have been tortured inside, this was a piece that offered him a bit of comfort.”
Now, the cardigan – described as “a blend of acrylic, mohair and Lycra with five-button closure (one button absent), with two exterior pockets, a burn hole and discoloration near left pocket and discoloration on right pocket” in 2015 – has made its owner a tidy profit, selling for US $334,000 (AU $489,590) over the weekend.
As CNN reports, the cardigan wasn’t the only piece of Kurt Cobain memorabilia to go under the hammer, with his customised left-handed Fender Mustang used on the In Utero tour selling for US $340,000 (AU $498,385).
While pre-sale estimates had been set between US $200,000 and $300,000, the eventual sale price has seen this iconic piece of clothing become the most expensive sweater sold at an auction, according to Julian’s Auction, who held the sale.
Check out Kurt Cobain wearing the sweater during their MTV Unplugged set:
