David’s Guitars Break Records in Combating Climate Change
June 21, 2019
Yesterday’s auction, by Christie’s in New York, of David’s guitar collection raised millions for ClientEarth, the organisation pledged to combat climate change, but the result was even better than expected. The highly anticipated auction of more than 120 instruments and artefacts from David’s personal collection created great excitement in the auction room as new record prices were set for contemporary musical instruments, achieving a final total of $21,490,750, including buyer’s premium.
Described as ‘the most valuable collection of musical instruments ever sold at auction’, the auction attracted astronomical bids from 2,000 bidders from 66 countries. As predicted, the instruments most closely associated with iconic recordings such as Wish You Were Here and The Dark Side of the Moon achieved high prices, the highest being the $3.9 million paid for David’s ‘Black Strat’ Fender Stratocaster, setting a world auction record for any guitar.
David described the result as “brilliant and unbelievable”, reiterating his support for ClientEarth in their cause to use the law to bring about real change. ClientEarth, a charity that uses the power of the law to protect the planet and its people, comprises lawyers and environmental experts who are fighting against climate change and to protect nature and the environment.
ClientEarth CEO James Thornton said: “This is a truly humbling and extraordinary gift, which goes beyond our wildest expectations. It’s difficult to express just how deeply grateful we are to David for choosing ClientEarth as the beneficiary of this historic auction. The law is one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the world’s increasing environmental problems. This gift is a phenomenal boost to our work using the law to tackle climate change and protect nature. It will allow us to play an even greater role in addressing the climate crisis and securing a healthy planet for future generations”. Click here for more information on ClientEarth.
The excitement around this guitar sale was expressed in some of the records broken. David’s acoustic Martin D-35 sold for $1,095,000 – a new world auction record for a C.F. Martin guitar. The 1954 White Fender Stratocaster #0001 used on several recordings, including Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), sold for $1,815,000, while the 1955 Gibson Les Paul, also famous for the solo on Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), sold for $447,000, a new auction record for a Gibson Les Paul. A rare Gretsch White Penguin 6134 purchased by David in 1980 realised $447,000 – a new auction record for a Gretsch. Christie’s declared all to be “world musical instruments auction records”.
In the months leading up to the auction, over 12,000 fans booked hour-long time slots at the tour stops in London, Los Angeles and New York to see the guitars in person. More than 500,000 people having viewed the content of the sale on Christies.com, the start of the sale had to be delayed for an hour to accommodate the unprecedented number of bidders who queued around the block to attend.
