Guitars and amplifiers belonging to Dire Straits star Mark Knopfler have sold for more than £8m at auction – much higher than had been estimated.
Knopfler sold more than 120 of his guitars and amps, with 25% of the proceeds going to charity.
The sale was led by Knopfler’s 1959 Vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard, which sold for £693,000, setting a new world auction record for the model.
The musician said the auction had been “an incredible journey”
“I am so pleased that these much-loved instruments will find new players and new songs as well as raising money for charities that mean a lot to me,” he continued.
“It has been heart-warming to witness how much these guitars mean to so many people and I am also pleased that they will continue to give joy to many through the songs recorded over the years with me.
“To you fellow players, enthusiasts and collectors, I wish you all good things.”
The London auction saw registered bidders and buyers from 61 countries, with a final total including buyer’s premium, confirmed at £8,840,160.
Knopfler’s 1988 Pensa-Suhr MK-1, which he played at Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, sold for £504,000 despite having an estimate of just £8,000.
Elsewhere, the Red Schecter Telecaster, which Knopfler purchased in 1984 to record hit Dire Straits song Walk Of Life, went under the hammer for £415,800, well above its £6,000 estimate.
Dire Straits became superstars in the mid-80s with their hit single Money for Nothing, a satire on rock excess in the MTV era.
Knopfler’s collection, which was auctioned at Christie’s in London on Wednesday, spans the entirety of his 50-year career.
Speaking to BBC News about the guitars in November, Knopfler said: “I hope they all get played, I don’t think they do too well living in a case all their lives.”
The guitar Knopfler played to record and perform Solid Rock had an estimate of £6,000 but sold for £277,000.
And the first electric-acoustic guitar Knopfler owned had an estimate of £5,000 but sold for £126,000.
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