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Kurt Cobain's cardigan worn on MTV Unplugged goes up for auction for $50,000

Garment has reportedly never been washed

Clémence Michallon
New York
Thursday 10 October 2019 11:02 EDT
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Kurt Cobain at Nirvana's 'MTV Unplugged' taping on 18 November, 1993 in New York City.
Kurt Cobain at Nirvana's 'MTV Unplugged' taping on 18 November, 1993 in New York City. (YouTube / Nirvana)

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Kurt Cobain’s cardigan which he wore during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance is going up for auction.

The garment, which has reportedly never been washed, will be available at a starting price of $50,000 (£41,000). It’s expected to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000 (£163,000 to £245,000).

Cobain was wearing the cardigan when Nirvana taped the appearance in November 1993 in New York City.

The segment aired in November 1994, seven months after Cobain’s death.

Cobain’s cardigan is described on Julien’s Auctions’ website as a Manhattan-brand ”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”.

It’s a size medium and was obtained from Jackie Farry, a friend of the Cobain family who was once the nanny of Frances Bean Cobain, Cobain and Courtney Love’s daughter.

The sweater was obtained from Jackie Farry, a close friend of the Cobain family, and is accompanied by both a handwritten letter and a typed, signed letter from Farry.

“It’s very important that we don’t wash it,” Darren Julien of Julien’s Auctions told Rolling Stone. “The stains are still there. There’s even cigarettes burns that you can see on the sweater.”

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The cardigan is currently owned by a businessman who has preferred not to reveal his identity.

The auction will go live on 25 October.

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