Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Kurt Cobain's Fender Mustang is one of the guitars from the collection
First draft of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road"
A KGB spy's secret compartment tooth.
NEW YORK, NY - This month, items from the Jim Irsay collection are being auctioned by Christie's. Jim Irsay inherited the Indianapolis Colts from his father and served as the principal owner, chairman, and CEO until his death in May 2025.
The billionaire built a collection based on his interests in popular culture and music. It is considered one of the largest and most significant guitar collections, including instruments originally owned by Elvis, Prince, The Beatles, The Stones, and Johnny Cash.
Over 300 items are being offered in an online and three live auctions, which began on March 3 and run through March 17. Movie, literature, music, and sports memorabilia that helped define 20th-century popular culture are available to bid on. If you were not lucky enough to inherit a fortune, you can still enjoy learning about the Jim Irsay Collection on Christies.com.
Literary items focus on works by Beat authors. Among them is Jack Kerouac's original typed scroll for "On the Road," estimated to sell for $2,500,000 to $4,000,000. Written over 21 days in 1951 on a continuous roll of taped tracing paper, the scroll totals over 120 feet of writing about postwar America.
Irsay also collected original lyrics and musicians' notebooks. In their own handwriting, read Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changing" and Paul McCartney's "Hey Jude."
For Beatles lovers, there are 30 items related to the Fab Four, including guitars owned by George, Paul, and John and Ringo Starr's drum kit.
In the four auction lots, there are 184 iconic guitars, prized for their design and the music they made.
"The Tiger," Jerry Garcia's custom-built electric guitar, can be yours for between $1 and $2 million. Garcia commissioned luthier Doug Irwin to create the instrument, which took six years to complete.
Like the smell of Teen Spirit? Kurt Cobain's blue Fender Competition Mustang, the one with stripes, could bring $5,000,000. He played it on tour, notably in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, which brought grunge to the mainstream.
Sports memorabilia range from racing to boxing, from the fastest to the greatest. Waitsburg's Days of Real Sports fans won't want to miss bidding on Secretariat's Triple Crown saddle for the estimated $1,500,000 to 3,000,000. In 1973, Secretariat's 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes pushed the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal off magazine covers and news headlines.
Looking for something great? Check out Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves from his bout with Karl Mildenberger in 1966. For historical importance, consider Jackie Robinson's #1 baseball card or the torch from the 1936 Olympics, where Jesse Owens' victories defied Hitler's narrative of Aryan supremacy.
Some of the oddest lots are from the Cold War: KGB spy cameras in belts, pens, cigarettes, a purse, and a tooth to hide a suicide pill. If Maxwell Smart's shoe phone appeals to you, there's a pair of leather lace-ups with a heel compartment.
If you don't need spy shoes, consider writer Hunter S. Thompson's Converse sneakers, James Brown's stage ankle boots with Cuban heels, or Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa training boots.
You can view or bid on all the auction items at www.christies.com/events/the-jim-irsay-collection/about.
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