Kurt Cobain’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ sweater — never washed — heads to auction

Once again, Kurt Cobain‘s vintage green cardigan from Nirvana‘s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance is being sold off.

For the second time in nearly four years, the iconic garment worn by the late Nirvana frontman has been listed on Julien’s Auctions under the Icons and Idols: Rock ‘n’ Roll category.

The item, which has never been washed, is expected to pull in between US$200,000 and $300,000.

“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.”

While the Manhattan-brand sweater has been preserved well over the last half-decade, it reportedly has a lot of wear, including a missing button, cigarette burn holes and discolouration near each of its exterior pockets.

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According to the auction listing, Cobain’s wife Courtney Love gifted the cardigan to a close friend, Jackie Farry, after the death of her husband in 1994. Farry also served as the nanny for the celebrity couple’s only child, Frances Bean Cobain.

When bought, the garment will be accompanied by both a handwritten letter and a typed, signed letter from Farry confirming its authenticity.

As of this writing, only one individual has bid on the medium-sized item, matching the minimum asking price of $50,000.

It’s unclear who is selling the cardigan now, however Julien said it was put up for auction by a businessman who is a fan of both Cobain and Nirvana, adding that his intention was always to resell the sweater.

Additional details on Lot 558 can be found on its original listing page. The auction will end on Oct. 26.

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Over the years, a number of distinctive items either owned or signed by Cobain have been sold through Julien’s Auctions, including a bottle of prescription drugs — which sold for $2,187.50 last November.

Some fans have even managed to get their hands on some of the star’s original pieces of art and, more recently, a 1990 set list that was handwritten on a used paper plate on which Cobain had previously enjoyed a slice of pizza.

Cobain’s Unplugged sweater was paired with a listing of his left-handed, turquoise-bodied guitar from 1993. The musician played the custom-built Fender Jaguar during Nirvana’s In Utero tour.

Following his death, the instrument was on display for several years at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

— With files from the Associated Press