Rare Nirvana Album, Signed by All Members, Sells for Nearly £19K

Autographed by Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl, the LP was obtained after a 1991 Bristol gig and remained in storage for over 30 years.

Vinyl / Autograph – Nirvana – fully signed copy of the 1991 Nevermind LP. It is possibly the best-signed example in terms of presentation and provenance to ever come to market, with the clear signatures of Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic centered on the front of the album sleeve and in fantastic large writing. Image courtesy of Wessex Auction Rooms.

An LP of Nirvana’s Nevermind with an autographed sleeve, kept in a loft for 30 years and called a “collector’s dream,” sold for £18,600 ($24,552) at Wessex Auction Rooms in Wiltshire, UK, in its Vinyl Records & Music Memorabilia auction on April 16.

The sleeve is signed by lead singer Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Dave Grohl. Auctioneer Martin Hughes called it “possibly the best-signed example ever to come to market” and noted that “Full sets of Nirvana signatures from this period are extremely rare, and to have them signed so perfectly on the sleeve of the most iconic album is a collector’s dream.”

Nevermind, released in 1991, is widely considered one of the best and most significant albums in rock music history. As Nirvana’s second album and their major label debut, it catapulted the band to global stardom and marked a turning point in pop culture, making grunge and alternative rock the dominant styles. Even the album cover, designed by Robert Fisher with the photograph of an underwater baby shot by Kirk Weddle, is an icon; today, it is in the design collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

The owner of the signed album got it autographed after Nirvana’s performance at the Bierkeller in Bristol, England, on November 4, 1991. He said that he and his friends “knew the guys who ran the Bierkeller” and “were also friendly with the door staff,” so they got to meet the band personally before they went to the stage door. “We wanted them to ourselves for five minutes.”

The concert was the first UK date on the band’s Nevermind tour. The venue held only 700 people and was at full capacity for the concert. Andy Fox, a manager at the Bierkeller at the time, later recalled to the Bristol Post “The build-up to it was crazy, there were loads of people outside the venue all day trying their best to get in, but it had sold out ages ago.”

The signed album doesn’t just capture a major moment in pop culture. It’s a memento of a beloved part of Bristol’s history. The Bierkeller closed in 2018, but fans treasure their memories of the venue and its live music shows. Hughes said “As a Bristol man myself, the local connection is also exciting for me,” and “That Bristol Bierkeller show is the stuff of legend.”

Nirvana: Band-Signed 1991 Bristol England Concert Ticket Stub. Image courtesy Julien’s Auctions.

In 2015, Time Out ranked the Nirvana show among “eight Bristol gigs that will go down in history.” A ticket from the show, also signed by the band members, sold at Julien’s Auctions in 2022 for $10,240, doubling its high estimate of $5,000. Not a bad return on investment; admission to the concert was only £6!

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