Johnny Marr guitar auction brings in £3.6M – with several iconic Smiths instruments selling for six-figure sums
A Christie’s auction listing over 100 guitars and other items from Johnny Marr’s personal collection has raked in over £3.6 million, more than tripling its total estimate made prior to the event.
The auction took place over a period of five hours yesterday (17 September), with the final figure finishing up at a respectable £3,649,280. Highlights from the sale included Marr’s 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo – used across his time in the Smiths, including on their second single This Charming Man, and extensively on the band’s self-titled debut – which sold for £358,400, far exceeding its £60,000-£80,000 estimate.
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There was also the Cherry Red 1960 Gibson ES-355, which was bought for Marr in early 1984 by Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, after Marr said jokingly that The Smiths would sign to his label if he was gifted a new guitar. With a pre-auction estimate of £100,000 – £150,000, this guitar smashed that figure, selling in the end for £204,800.
Other six-figure lots included the Cherry Gibson Les Paul Standard bought by Marr for the Smiths’ second album Meat is Murder, and which he professes to using on “more records than any other”. With a custom-installed Bigsby tremolo, this guitar also sold for £204,800.
Another highlight was the 1971 Martin D-28 acoustic used on many classic Smiths hits including Rusholme Ruffians (recently played by UK PM Andy Burnham in Ukraine, of all people) What She Said and Meat is Murder, smashed its £30,000 – £50,000 estimate, selling for £128,000.
Elsewhere, Marr’s “go-to rhythm guitar” between 1984 and ‘85 – a Roger Giffin-refurbished Fender Telecaster which sold for £121,600. Marr’s signature Comet Sparkle Fender Jaguar – which he used to record the James Bond theme for 2021’s No Time to Die – also sold for a solid £46,080.
Of the total money raised from the sale, proceeds from 31 lots spanning 10 guitars, 1980s concert posters, and sales awards, will be split equally between the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the National Autistic Society.
Credit: Christie’s
“The auction has been a great experience and has exceeded all my expectations,” says Johnny Marr. “I’d like to thank everyone who made bids and special thanks to Christie’s for making it so memorable.”
Amelia Walker, Christie’s Specialist Head of Private & Iconic Collections, London, adds: “We are thrilled to have been able to partner with Johnny Marr for this landmark auction, the results of which reflect his groundbreaking and unparalleled musical influence.”
“We’re incredibly grateful to Johnny Marr for choosing Guide Dogs as one of the charities benefitting from this auction,” says Jo Stevenson, Head of Customer Experience at Guide Dogs.
“As a charity we’re almost entirely funded by donations; this will go a long way in helping people with sight loss live the life they choose. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Johnny for his generosity and for sharing his impressive guitar collection with his fans.”
Hayley Butler, Head of Fundraising at the National Autistic Society adds: “We are delighted by the success of the auction. The amazing funds raised will support our mission to create a society that works for autistic people. We’d like to say an enormous thank you to Johnny, and to everyone who bid on these iconic guitars.”
Iconic guitars continue to regularly command sky-high prices at auction. Billionaire Jim Irsay’s collection – which featured classic instruments once owned by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and many others – brought in a total $94.5 million following his death in 2025.
That auction holds the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction: David Gilmour’s legendary Black Strat, which raked in a staggering $14,550,000 on its own, over three times the total amount generated by the entire Johnny Marr auction. That auction also saw Jerry Garcia’s Tiger guitar sell for over $11 million, and Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Fender Mustang sell for nearly $7 million.
Take a look at the final results of Marr’s Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection over at Christie’s.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
