Jim Irsay’s Memorabilia Collection Nets Over $93 Million at Auction, Featuring Items From Classic Rock Legends
via Christie's / YouTube
Record‑Breaking Sales Across Music and Sports
The memorabilia collection of the late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay brought in a total of $93,656,609 during live auctions held from Thursday to Saturday by Christie’s. Online bidding is still underway. Before the event, Christie’s had estimated the March sales would reach about $40 million, but strong interest from collectors far exceeded that figure. The auction featured items from classic rock artists, sports legends, and pop culture icons.
Music fans and collectors pushed many items into record territory. One of the top sellers was the famous black Stratocaster owned by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, which fetched $14.55 million, the highest price ever paid for a guitar at auction. A rare original typescript of On the Road by writer Jack Kerouac brought $12.135 million, setting a record for a literary manuscript. Country singer Zach Bryan purchased the Kerouac scroll and plans to help turn a church in Massachusetts into the Jack Kerouac Center.
Legendary Guitars and Rock History
The collection also included several other instruments that drew fierce bidding. A custom guitar known as Tiger played by Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead sold for $11.56 million. A Fender Mustang once played by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana brought $6.907 million. Before this event, the record for a guitar price had been set in 2020 at $6.01 million for Cobain’s 1959 Martin D‑18E acoustic‑electric used on MTV Unplugged.
Christie’s said the auction set 23 world records across the two days of live sales. Julien Pradels, president of Christie’s Americas, spoke about Irsay’s unique collection. “The Irsay sale did justice to the brilliance of the collector, and of the monumental pieces he brought together, iconic objects that tell the story of our culture and our times,” he said. “The Irsay collection is singular, but Christie’s will have other amazing sales in the space moving forward.”
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Sports, Film and Cultural Items
While Irsay was best known for his music collection, sports memorabilia also drew high bids. The saddle used by jockey Ron Turcotte in the famous 1973 Triple Crown win by Secretariat sold for $1.524 million, the highest price ever paid for a horse racing item. A jersey worn by Wayne Gretzky when he scored his 500th NHL goal fetched $952,500.
Other notable items included Muhammad Ali’s fight robe from his second match against Sonny Liston for $444,500, a Jackie Robinson bat from the 1953 season for $406,400, and a 28‑page notebook of the original “Rocky” script by Sylvester Stallone for $508,000.
Proceeds and Personal Notes
Christie’s said part of the proceeds will go to philanthropic causes supported by Irsay while he was alive. Irsay, who died in March 2025 of cardiac arrest at age 65, was known for collecting objects tied to cultural history and supporting community causes. The FBI is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death and whether his relationship with Dr. Harry Haroutunian, a California addiction specialist, had any connection to prescriptions he received for pain medication and ketamine.
