The three-day auction of items belonging to late legend Johnny Cash and wife JUNE CARTER CASH has finished, raising almost $4 million.
Over 1,000 bidders bought items such as guitars, clothing, photographs and jewellery at New York auction house Sotheby’s, with the total raised exceeding what was expected twice over.
The most expensive item sold was a 1986 Grammy, which made $187,200, almost 27 times the guide price of $7,000.
The Grammy for Best Spoken Word Or Non-Musical Recording was awarded to Johnny Cash along with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Rick Nelson and record producers Sam Phillips and Chips Moman for interviews recorded in 1985 at a reunion of the artists, reports Reuters.
Head of Sotheby’s collectibles department Leila Dunbar said: “We’re thrilled with the results. It’s been an extremely intense group of people showing their admiration for Johnny and June, which is not surprising, given the lengths of their careers and the accomplishments of their careers.”
Other top sellers included a handcrafted black Martin guitar which featured in many publicity photographs. It sold for $131,200 after being given a guide price of $8,000 to $12,000.
A bidder paid $131,200 for a custom-made Grammer guitar which was expected to bring in $10,000 to $20,000.
All proceeds from the auction will go to the Johnny Cash family estate. Sotheby’s were approached by the Johnny Cash’s in 2000 when the pair decided to dispose of some of their belongings.
Their family finalised details of the auction after June’s death in May 2003, and Johnny Cash’s
death in September of the same year.