live news: Johnny Marr will send approximately 80 guitars to Christie's for sale in London on 17 September 2026. The auction, titled Marr's Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection, also includes around 95 lots in total and a charity element built into 10 of them.
Johnny Marr's Collection
The estimates for the sale range from £1,000 to £150,000, giving the auction a wide spread that reflects both working instruments and the more significant pieces in the set. Christie's said the highlights will be on public view in New York from 25 June to 1 July, before a pre-sale exhibition in London from 9 to 16 September.
Johnny Marr said, “I have loved guitars for as long as I can remember, since the first one I got at the age of five.” He added, “Each guitar I have acquired over the past 50 years or so has helped me evolve as a musician, bringing new songs, new sounds and techniques.”
Christie's in London
Amelia Walker said, “Christie's is thrilled to be presenting Marr's Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection for sale this September.” Christie's is presenting the sale after Marr wrote Marr's Guitars in 2023, and after several of the guitars were most recently played during the recording of his new album The Age Of Everything.
That link to active work, rather than storage, is part of what makes the sale unusual. Marr said, “The book turned out to be a cathartic experience and when it was time for these beautiful instruments to go back into storage, I couldn't imagine them being put away and left unplayed.”
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
Ten lots will direct 100% of the hammer price to The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and The National Autistic Society, giving the auction a clear charitable track alongside the main sale. Marr said, “It's bittersweet to be parting with these guitars but I want them to go to new homes and new people who will love them as much as I have.”
For buyers, the practical timeline is now set: New York gets the public preview first, London follows with the pre-sale display, and Christie's then takes the collection to the block in mid-September. The open question is which guitars will emerge as the standout lots once the sale room starts bidding, especially among the instruments tied to Marr's past 50 years of collecting and playing.
