This 1959 Vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard took a hammer price of £550,000 (£693,000 including buyer’s premium), the top lot in the auction. Knopfler used this guitar for performances on the Sailing To Philadelphia Tour in 2001 and the Kill To Get Crimson Tour in 2008, as well as several recordings.
The January 31 Christie’s sale was led by Knopfler’s 1959 Vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard which sold for £550,000 (£693,000 including buyer’s premium). The price set a new world auction record for the model (against an estimate £300,000-500,000).
Fans and collectors from 61 countries registered to bid and all lots sold.
This 1959 Vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard took a hammer price of £550,000 (£693,000 including buyer’s premium), the top lot in the auction. Knopfler used this guitar for performances on the Sailing To Philadelphia Tour in 2001 and the Kill To Get Crimson Tour in 2008, as well as several recordings.
Some of the proceeds from the sale are going to charity. The British Red Cross, Tusk and Brave Hearts of the North East will share 25% of the total hammer price while 100% of the funds raised from the final lot (a Gibson Les Paul 'Gold Top') are being donated to Teenage Cancer Trust. In addition, Christie’s is contributing a further £50,000 to each of the four charities.
Also among the top lots was this 1988 Pensa-Suhr MK-1 which sold for £400,000 (£504,000 including buyer’s premium). This set an auction record for a Pensa-Suhr. This guitar was completed in record time so it would be ready for Knopfler to play at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert on June 11, 1988 at Wembley Stadium. The guitar made its debut a week earlier when Knopfler played ‘Money For Nothing’ and ‘Layla’ with Eric Clapton's All-Star Band at the Prince's Trust Rock Gala on June 6, 1988.
