BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

Julien’s Auctions announced yet another extraordinary guitar from the chronicle of rock and roll history has been added to their highly anticipated MUSIC ICONS event taking place live Wednesday, May 29^th, and Thursday, May 30^th, 2024 at Hard Rock Cafe in New York and online at juliensauctions.com.

After nearly twenty years, Prince’s legendary Cloud 3 returns to the auction podium, joining alongside some of rock’s greatest guitars ever to come to auction, including the previously announced John Lennon’s recently found Help!

Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar and Randy Bachman’s collection of over 200 of his most coveted guitars. Julien’s re-discovery of the Cloud 3 guitar marks a pivotal moment in its remarkable history and reinstates its rightful status as an iconic symbol of the seven-time, GRAMMY-Award-winning music artist’s titanic career and rock ‘n’ roll heritage itself.

The yellow Cloud 3 stood as one of Prince’s centerpiece instruments, gracing the stages of his iconic tours from the mid-80s to the early 90s, including, Purple Rain, Parade, Sign of the Times, Lovesexy, and Diamonds & Pearls.  Julien’s Auctions verified Cloud 3’s provenance by conducting a CT scan and interviewing Dave Rusan, the luthier behind its creation. It remains fully playable and carries a Certificate of Authenticity from Paisley Park.

Previously sold by Christie’s for £4,200 in 2005 and on eBay for a price less than its original listing of £59,000, Cloud 3’s journey took a remarkable turn under Julien’s meticulous care to reclaim its true glory once again. Prince’s Cloud 3 guitar is conservatively estimated to sell this May at auction US$400,000-$600,000/ HK$3,120,000-4,680,000. 

Julien’s successful sales of Prince’s Cloud guitars include his yellow Cloud (US$225,000), his “Blue Angel” Cloud 2 (US$563,500), and his blue teal Cloud, which set the world record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction (US$700,000). 

“Julien’s Auctions has laid the groundwork for the return of Prince’s Cloud 3 guitar, exemplified by our longstanding commitment to honoring his legacy,” said David Goodman, CEO of Julien’s Auctions. “Our company proudly stands by our proven track record in sourcing and presenting instruments of unparalleled historical significance, and Prince’s Cloud 3 now joins this esteemed category.” He added, “With this guitar and our other exceptional offerings, Julien’s has curated a spectacular collection of the greatest stage-played guitars and historical music artifacts that truly represent a pantheon of music royalty.”

Joining Prince’s iconic Cloud 3 on the auction podium will be John Lennon’s Lost Framus “Help!” Hootenanny guitar, a hall of fame of guitars from Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson’s historic 1965 Fender Telecaster to Bono’s U2 Gretsch Irish Falcon, a stunning collection of over 200 vintage guitars from iconic rocker, Randy Bachman – known for such classic hits as, “American Woman,” “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” “Taking Care of Business,” “Let it Ride,” and more.

Music Icons’ charity initiatives will be part of the event, including a trove of rare Beatles treasures from GRAMMY^® Nominated singer/songwriter, multi-faceted entrepreneur and artist, Julian Lennon from his private collection of Beatles iconography and historic personal items from his father John Lennon. A portion of the proceeds from this lot will benefit The White Feather Foundation. 

These pieces of pop culture and Beatlemania add to the excitement and anticipation of the previously announced Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar played by John Lennon and George Harrison on the Help! album which was re-discovered years after Lennon had given it away to a friend as a gift. US$3,000-5,000/ HK$23,400-39,000)

The sale also includes several iconic items offered by The King’s Trust, founded by His Majesty as Prince of Wales in 1976 to help young people.  A constellation of star items such as Chet Atkins’ guitar donated by Mark Knopfler; two signed Barbra Streisand record albums Guilty and The Broadway Album; Phil Collins’ jacket by Armani, stage-worn at the Phil Collins Not Dead Yet tour 2017-2019; items from Ringo Starr such as a Peace Hand Statuette with added drumsticks and signed Beats & Threads hardcover book; Elton John’s Gucci jacket; Sting’s signed bass guitar; Emma Bunton (of The Spice Girls) signed stage-worn high heels and color snapshot; a suit worn by Rod Stewart and more. 

Other exceptional highlights include:

Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson 1965 FENDER Telecaster Guitar with Book  Estimate US$500,000-700,000/ HK$3,900,000-5,460,000	Victoria Beckham A faux snakeskin dress made for Victoria Beckham as “Posh Spice” in the musical/comedy Spice World (Icon Entertainment International, 1997).   Estimate: US$400 – 600/HK$3,120 – 4,680	Michael Jackson stage-worn 1984 Victory Tour “Billie Jean” jacket designed by Bill Whitten who famously designed Jackson’s crystal glove and socks. The jacket was exhibited at the Grammy Museum from 2018 to 2021  Estimate: US$80,000 – $100,000/ HK$624,000 – 780,000
Freddie Mercury Onitsuka Tiger High-Top sneakers with photo (Estimate: US$20,000-$30,000/ HK$156,000-234,000). Mercury was first photographed wearing the white version of these boxing-style sneakers on stage in late 1979, along with red vinyl pants	Elvis Presley Personalized Mathey Tissot Day Date Wristwatch Estimate: US$10,000-20,000/ HK$78,000-156,000	Randy Bachman B.T.O. Stage-played and studio-played 1955 FENDER Stratocaster  Estimate: US$100,000-$200,000/ HK$780,000 – 1,560,000

JULIEN’S AUCTIONS PUBLIC EXHIBITION & LIVE AUCTION LOCATION

US EXHIBITION 

Hard Rock Cafe New York

1501 Broadway-Times Square, New York, NY 10036

Exhibition: Wednesday, May 22^nd, 2024 – Tuesday, May 28^th, 2024

Free to the public: 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time daily

LIVE AND ONLINE AUCTION 

Music Icons – The Randy Bachman Collection

Wednesday, May 29^th 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time

Music Icons 

Thursday, May 30^th 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time

REGISTERING TO BID
Registration is required to bid in this auction and can be done in person on the day of the auction, or online before the sale at the Julien’s Auctions.

For inquiries, please email [email protected] or call 310-836-1818.

PLACING BIDS
There are three ways to bid in Live Auctions:

1. Bid with Julien’s Auctions online. You can either place a bid at the next increment, or leave a maximum bid which will be executed against other competitive bids.
2. Bid over the telephone through an auction house representation.
3. Bid in person in the room at our auction events.

Julien’s Auctions accepts payments with cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, DAI, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin and USD Coin.

*Cover Photo/Thumbnail Photo from Julien’s Auction