It\u2019s bound to put the \u201crock\u201d in Rockefeller Plaza.<\/p>\n
A massive treasure trove of popular music memorabilia from the collection of the late billionaire owner of the Indianapolis Colts is set to go on sale at Christie\u2019s in March \u2014 marking one of the most important auctions of historic items from the rock n\u2019 roll age.<\/p>\n
The sale of relics owned by Jim Irsay<\/a> includes nearly priceless gems \u2014 from a drum Ringo Starr used during the Beatles\u2019 first US TV appearance to the guitar played by Kurt Cobain in the video for \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit,\u201d The Post has learned.<\/p>\n The collection also includes a host of sports memorabilia owned by the former NFL boss, including a bat used by Jackie Robinson and items signed by Babe Ruth.<\/p>\n Guitars once belonging to Jerry Garcia, Kurt Cobain and John Lennon are among hundreds of priceless pieces of memorabilia to be sold at a historic Midtown auction. Gabriella Bass<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very rare for this many important objects to all be assembled in one place, at one time,\u201d Christie\u2019s head of sales for private and iconic collections Nathalie Ferneau told The Post, adding that the March 3 to 17 auction<\/a> will span a variety of demographics due to the unparalleled range of pieces.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has their own generational touch points, and this really spans all of them,\u201d Ferneau added.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s created something here that is greater than the sum of its parts.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cJim Irsay Collection\u201d sale has already drawn a slew of interested collectors, Ferneau noted, and is expected to draw a record number of music fans into the free-to-enter 20 Rockefeller Plaza galleries during a public display from March 6 to 12.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very rare for this many important objects to all be assembled in one place, at one time,\u201d said Nathalie Ferneau, Christie\u2019s head of sales for private and iconic collections. Gabriella Bass<\/p>\n Irsay was famous for his collection, which traveled around as part of a public exhibition that he offered for free. He told ESPN that he liked to buy items tied to memorable moments.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve pondered questions such as what real currency does a memory have,\u201d Irsay told ESPN in 2023.<\/a> \u201cHow did the memory serve us? Did it help form who you are? There are historic moments that shifted the whole world. History is just an incredible teacher for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Kurt Cobain\u2019s 1969 Fender Mustang, seen in the \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit\u201d music video, is expected to fetch the most cash. Gabriella Bass<\/p>\n Several of the musical treasures are slated to fetch millions, like a drum head Starr played on \u201cThe Ed Sullivan Show\u201d in 1964, which is expected to go for between $1 million and $2 million.<\/p>\n