Jim Irsay’s lauded $1 billion collection of acoustic and electric guitars is set to be sold, his family has confirmed.
The billionaire businessman, who passed away aged 65 in May, was the owner of the NFL team, the Indianapolis Colts, from 1997 until his death, having inherited the club from his father. But it was his penchant for acquiring famous and hugely influential guitars that earned him such a fierce reputation in the music scene.
“It’s an eclectic collection, but really it’s about spirituality,” he had once said of a hoard of instruments dubbed “the greatest guitar collection on Earth” by Guitar World. “It’s about human beings being as great as they can and changing the world with love and strength,
Included in his collection is David Gilmour's iconic Black Strat, acquired for $3,975,000 in 2019, and Jerry Garcia's Tiger, which kick-started his collecting when he bought it in 2002.
The sale of the collection will be handled by Christie’s New York, which previously auctioned off Mark Knopfler and Jeff Beck's storied instruments. A series of auctions will take place in March.
“This decision was not made lightly, but with deep reflection and love for the legacy he built,” the Irsay family says in a statement via the Colts. It has been noted, however, that some items in his collection will be kept in the family, with the “majority” going under the hammer.
“Our dad was a passionate collector, driven not by possession, but by a profound appreciation for the beauty, history, and cultural resonance of the items he curated,” the family’s statement expands. “Each piece in the collection tells a story — and he was always so excited to share those stories with the world.”
Indeed, much of his collection was recently put on display at Indiana University Bloomington and has also been accessed by the Steichen and Purdue University Guitar Lab for educational purposes.
Many of his pieces, including the Fender Mustang Kurt Cobain played on the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video — bought for a record-breaking $4.5 million in 2022 — and Bob Dylan’s infamous Newport Folk Festival Stratocaster, which he played during his controversial first electric set, hold huge cultural significance.
Several Beatles guitars are also housed in the collection. That includes John Lennon's 1963 Gretsch 6120 Country Gentleman, used to record “Paperback Writer,” George Harrison’s 1964 Gibson SG, used on the same song and across the Revolver album, and Lennon’s 1964 Rickenbacker Rose Morris Model 1996.
Two iconic Eric Clapton instruments, his Fool SG, which played a starring role in Cream and is synonymous with his woman tone, and his 1939 Martin 000-42 acoustic guitar, played during his career-reviving MTV Unplugged performance, also feature. As does Prince's unmistakable Yellow Cloud guitar, built by luthier Dave Rusan, meaning they could all be headed to auction in March.
It's not just instruments in his stock, either. Aside from Paul McCartney's handwritten "Hey Jude" lyric sheet, he'd acquired an Apple II manual signed by Steve Jobs, Hunter S. Thompson's Red Shark convertible and Jack Kerouac's original typewritten manuscript of On the Road.
“Christie’s is honored to offer this magnificent collection, so lovingly compiled, maintained, and shared by legendary collector Jim Irsay over decades,” Julien Pradels, president of the Christie’s Americans region, says in light of the impending auction.
The auction signals the end of an era spanning over two decades, and one that, in Irsay’s eyes, represents the best of his homeland.
“I’ve been so blessed, and like I always knew, rock and roll and N.F.L. football — that’s America, man, that’s what it’s about,” he said in 2022. “I mean, it doesn’t get any bigger, better than that.”
