Yesterday’s much-anticipated auction of David Gilmour‘s guitars raised $21,490,750 for charity.
The highlight of the Christie’s auction held in New York City was the Pink Floyd frontman’s fabled “Black Strat,” which sold for $3,975,000, way beyond the official estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.
Gilmour bought that Fender Stratocaster in New York City in May 1970, and played it extensively through the ’70s and into the ’80s on such recording as “The Dark Side of the Moon” (1973), “Wish You Were Here” (1975), “Animals” (1977) and “The Wall” (1979).
The winning bid for the Black Strat came from Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts. Larry Hall, vice president of special projects for the NFL team, attended the auction as Irsay’s proxy.
Other highlights include Gilmour’s ’54 Stratocaster, serial number 0001, used for the rhythm track on “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2,” which went for $1,815,000; a ’69 Martin D-35 used on “Welcome to the Machine” and “Wish You Were Here,” (also sold to Irsay) for $1,095,000; and his 12-string Martin D12-28, used to write and record the opening riff for “Wish You Were Here,” sold for $531,000.
According to Christie’s, the Black Strat breaks the record for a guitar sold at auction, and is the most ever paid for a Stratocaster. Previously, the most expensive guitar sold at auction was the “Reach Out to Asia” Stratocaster, auctioned to support victims of the 2004 tsunami.
That item sold in 2005 for $2.7 million. It had been signed by Gilmour, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, and others.
Irsay has a few other notable guitars in his collection, including an orange ’63 Gretsch once owned by John Lennon and purchased for $530,000 in 2015; and the “Yellow Cloud” guitar played by Prince, which Irsay purchased for $137,500 in 2016.
The day before the auction, Gilmour announced all proceeds would benefit ClientEarth, an organization that funds attorneys and other experts to fight climate change.
“The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming being irreversible,” Gilmour said.
“I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their action to use the law to bring about real change. We need a civilized world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.”
The auction lasted eight hours with bidders from 66 countries participating.
