The Smiths' Johnny Marr Joins Musicians Auctioning Instruments for Charity

Johnny Marr, renowned for his work with The Smiths, is joining a growing number of musicians who are auctioning their instruments for charitable causes. Marr is putting up for sale approximately 100 instruments from his personal collection, with 80 of them being guitars.

Among the most prized items is a 1960 semi-acoustic Gibson ES-335, gifted to Marr by Seymour Stein, founder of Sire Records. This guitar is pre-auctioned at an estimated 150,000 pounds (over 174,000 euros). Another significant piece is a Rickenbacker 330, valued at around 93,000 euros, both of which were actively used by Marr during The Smiths' successful years. The collection also includes more affordable instruments, with prices starting from 1,160 euros.

The auction of Marr's guitar collection will commence at Christie's in London on September 17. Marr has pledged to donate the full proceeds from ten of the guitars to support the training and acquisition of guide dogs for the visually impaired and to fund advisory and support services for individuals with autism.

Instruments previously owned by famous musicians often command significantly higher prices than comparable instruments on the used market. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd's 2019 auction of his guitar collection generated $21.5 million (approximately 24.7 million euros today), with all proceeds donated to the environmental organization ClientEarth. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits' collection sale in February 2024 at Christie's raised 10.2 million euros, a quarter of which Knopfler distributed to charities including a children's health foundation, wildlife conservation, and the Red Cross.

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The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr joins musicians auctioning their instruments.