“One of the world’s most recognizable guitars”: Rory Gallagher’s 1961 Fender Stratocaster sells at auction for a whopping $1.16 million (2024)

Back in July, it was announced that Rory Gallagher's guitar gear would, three decades after the blues-rock titan's untimely passing, go up for auction.

Now, the pearl of the lot, Gallagher's iconic, well-worn 1961 Fender Stratocaster, has sold for a tidy sum of £889,400, which equates to roughly $1.16 million. This makes the Strat – cited by auction house Bonhams as “one of the world’s most recognizable guitars” – one of the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction.

The Strat in question has such significance that significant figures in the Irish government endorsed a grassroots fundraising effort to keep the guitar in Gallagher's native country of Ireland. The initiative also garnered the support of Joe Bonamassa, who recently said in light of it that he would pass on bidding for the guitar.

Though nothing, of course, fetched as much dough as the Strat, the auction featured some other significant sales.

Gallagher's gorgeous '30s-era National Triolian resonator, for one, fetched over £95,000 (~$125,000), while his 1968 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar brought in £102,000 (~$132,000).

His 1963 Gretsch Corvette sold for £25,600 (~$33,000), which isn't too bad considering Gallagher bought it for the princely sum of $150.

One of the quirkiest models in the guitar legend's collection, a 1968 Coral 3S19 Electric Sitar got £11,520 (just under $15,000), while his '61 Kay Value Leader went under the hammer for £14,080. Gallagher's '59 Fender Esquire, which once had the misfortune of being crushed on an airport runway, fetched £95,650 (~$125,000).

Asked by Guitarist in a recent interview why he decided to sell his brother's gear, Donal Gallagher said that there were several factors that went into his decision.

“One, I suppose, is the conveyor belt of life and you have to look at your own situation. Next year it’ll be the 30th anniversary [of Rory’s death], and obviously that puts a lot of things into focus – especially as we’ve been completing a new documentary on Rory ahead of the anniversary.

“When I looked at the instruments [while making the documentary] I couldn’t help thinking, ‘What happens after my demise?,’ for instance,” he continued. “And I suppose being hospitalized myself [Donal underwent successful treatment for cancer not long ago] brought that into sharper focus.

“I knew all the difficulties I faced, holding the collection, which I never get to see anyway. Because you can’t just hang the Strat up over your fireplace, so it’s not an object for the family to enjoy.”

To see the full auction results, visit Bonhams.