The three-day auction of items belonging to the late and very great Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash has finished, raising almost $4 million. Over 1,000 bidders bought items such as guitars, clothing, photographs and jewellery at New York auction house Sotheby's, with the total raised exceeding what was expected twice over.
Reuters reports that the most expensive item sold was a 1986 Grammy, which made $187,200, almost 27 times the guide price of $7,000. The Grammy for Best Spoken Word Or Non-Musical Recording was awarded to Cash along with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Rick Nelson and record producers Sam Phillips and Chips Moman for interviews recorded in 1985 at a reunion of the artists. Other top sellers included a handcrafted black Martin guitar sold for $131,200 after being given a guide price of $8,000 to $12,000.
Head of Sotheby's collectibles department Leila Dunbar said: "We're thrilled with the results. It's been an extremely intense group of people showing their admiration for Johnny and June, which is not surprising, given the lengths of their careers and the accomplishments of their careers."
All proceeds from the auction will go to the Cash family estate.