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Jerry Garcia’s custom-built Tiger guitar has officially sold at auction, fetching a staggering $11,560,000. The famous instrument was among many music-related items from the late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s collection, which is currently being represented by Christie’s Auction House in New York following the proprietor’s passing in May 2025. Notably, yesterday’s event saw the sale of five of the top 10 most expensive guitars to ever go at auction. 

Tiger’s arrival on the auction block came after a two-decade stay in the Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s collection, spanning from his 2002 acquisition. Initially, Christie’s Auction House listed Tiger with an estimated price range of $1,000,000 to $2,000,000. Despite expectations, it sold for much more than anticipated, further underscoring its value to the Grateful Dead community and music lovers. 

The famous instrument, made by luthier Doug Irwin, was used by Garcia from 1979 through his last public performance at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 9, 1995. Tiger was just one of many instruments with historical connections sold during yesterday’s paddle-raising event. 

Beyond the Garcia-associated sale, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour’s black Fender Stratocaster brought in a whopping $14,550,000, taking the title of one of the most expensive guitars ever to be sold, exceeding a record previously held by Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Martin D-18E, which fetched $6,000,000 in 2020. Notably, Gilmour’s guitar has more than tripled in price since Irsay procured it for $3,975,000 in 2019. 

The Nirvana frontman’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Fender Mustang took in $6.9 million, while Eric Clapton’s 1964 Gibson SG Standard, known for its use during his Cream era and nicknamed “The Fool,” sold for $3,000,000, exceeding the estimated sale of $800,000 to $1,200,000. Irsay paid $1.27 million for it in 2023. Another one of Clapton’s instruments, his MTV Unplugged Martin 000-42, sold for $4.1 million. 

Other sizable sales from the auction’s opening day included Gilmour’s “Wish You Were Here” Matin-D35, $2,322,000; George Harrison’s 1964 Gibson SG Standard for $2,271,000. Janis Joplin’s Gibson J-45 sold for $381,000, while John Lennon’s stage-played ‘Rose-Morris’ Rickenbacker hit $1,270,000. 

Lennon’s Broadwood upright piano took in $3,247,000, despite an estimated value of $400,000-$600,000. The Beatles’ logo drum used during their famous Ed Sullivan debut in 1964, sold for $2,881,000, while Miles Davis’ Martin Committee trumpet, totaled $1,651,000. 

At the end of the day, the Jim Irsay Collection’s opening day brought in a staggering $84,091,350.