The Rickenbacker that opens 'This Charming Man.' The Gibson bought for him by the man who signed The Smiths. The Martin he wrote 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out' on. All of it is going to Christie's.
Christie's London confirmed that Marr's Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection will go under the hammer on September 17, offering roughly 95 lots, about 80 guitars along with amplifiers and studio equipment, spanning Marr's career from The Smiths through The Pretenders, The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse, and his solo work. Estimates across the sale range from £1,000 to £150,000.
The Instruments Behind the Songs
The collection's throughline isn't rarity for its own sake; it's documented use. The 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo drove The Smiths' debut album and can be heard on 'This Charming Man' and 'What Difference Does It Make?' Marr later lent it to Noel Gallagher, and it appears on the cover of Oasis's first single, 'Supersonic.' Its estimate runs up to £80,000.
The top-estimated lot, a 1960 Cherry Red Gibson ES-355 purchased for Marr by Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, was central to writing 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' and has been cited as an influence on players including Bernard Butler and Noel Gallagher. A 1971 Martin D-28, used to write 'Cemetry Gates' and 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,' rounds out some of the most historically loaded pieces in the sale.
Provenance That Doesn't Need Explaining
Guitar collecting runs on exactly this kind of documentation, an instrument's value tracks not just its make and condition but what was recorded on it, by whom, and when. A Rickenbacker is a Rickenbacker; a Rickenbacker heard on a Smiths record its owner can point to by name is something else entirely. Every instrument in this sale comes with that link already established, no research or attribution debate required.
Selected pieces went on public view in New York in late June before returning to London for the September sale. A portion of proceeds from ten specific lots will go to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the National Autistic Society.
The Formula Holds Again
Documented use by a single, named, still-active musician. Specific songs and specific recordings tied to specific instruments. And a career significant enough that the objects carry cultural weight well beyond their materials. It's the same combination that's driven headline results across this market all year, this time in a genre where the story usually gets told through guitars rather than paintings or coins.