Christie's will auction approximately 95 guitars from Johnny Marr's personal collection on 17 September 2026 in London, with some estimates reaching as high as £150,000, according to Christie's press release published 22 June 2026. A public viewing runs from 9 to 16 September before the sale.

The most recognizable instrument is a 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo — the guitar Marr played on "This Charming Man," one of The Smiths' most iconic songs. He acquired it in 1983 after signing his first publishing deal. Christie's estimates it at £60,000–£80,000. A second, unnamed guitar in the collection is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000, per RTÉ, making it the highest-valued lot disclosed so far.

Ten of the roughly 95 lots come with a philanthropic clause: Marr has committed to giving 100 percent of the sale price from those pieces to charity, according to PA Media. The specific charities have not yet been named.

Instrument auctions at major auction houses have shown strong buyer interest at the high end. Eric Clapton's "Blackie" Stratocaster, Kurt Cobain's "MTV Unplugged" Martin, and David Gilmour's collection — which sold for £16.8 million at Christie's in 2019 — set the benchmarks that buyers and sellers reference now. Marr's collection occupies a different position in the market: he is alive, still performing, and consigning the guitars himself. This clarity around ownership history is valuable, yet it also introduces questions about how the sale is structured and whether prices might be inflated by the connection to a working artist still actively using such instruments.

The Rickenbacker 330 carries particular weight among specialist collectors. The single twelve-string variant became central to the jangle-pop sound Marr created in the early 1980s, and verified provenance directly from the original recording sessions is the kind of documented history that pushes estimates above typical ranges. The £60,000–£80,000 estimate for that lot is restrained compared to guitars from deceased artists, likely reflecting both the "living artist discount" — where buyers pay less because the artist themselves can still tour and perform — and the fact that the collection's top lot, priced up to £150,000, has not been publicly identified. This leaves room for the Rickenbacker to shift upward if bidding momentum builds.

The success of the sale will hinge on whether Marr's solo work resonates with collectors beyond Smiths devotees. Since 1990, his discography spans collaborations with Modest Mouse, The The, and Electronic, plus solo albums — each with its own instrumental history. If the auction leans heavily on The Smiths material, bidder interest may concentrate in a narrow, high-value slice. If solo and collaborative pieces are distributed across the 95 lots, the sale has the structure to perform across a wider range of prices.

Christie's has not yet released the full catalogue. The September viewing week will be the first chance for potential bidders to examine condition and provenance documentation in person. Given the nine-week window before the sale, expect detailed catalogue information and refined pre-sale estimates once everything is published.