Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick is selling more than 300 pieces from his collection at a Julien’s Auctions event in Nashville on Oct. 24. The Rick Nielsen Collection includes electric guitars, amps, handwritten lyrics, set lists, concert posters, studio notes, rare photos, stage props, acetates, promo items, and sweaters.
The top lots are big ones. A custom 2004 Hamer five-neck Korina electric guitar, played on stage, carries an estimate of $175,000 to $200,000. A 1975 Hamer Standard electric guitar, also played on stage, is expected to bring $200,000 to $300,000. A 1984 Gibson Les Paul XPL in sunburst is estimated at $15,000 to $20,000.
Nielsen is also letting go of a 1955 Ford Thunderbird, estimated at $60,000 to $80,000, and a 1958 Ford Ranchero. A custom 1989 checkerboard John Deere tractor with a snowplow is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000. Handwritten “Heaven Tonight” lyrics and studio notes are estimated at $3,000 to $4,000.
Smaller items made the list too. A 1982 Detroit Tigers cap, which he wore on the One on One cover, is estimated at $700 to $900. A sweater from that album, with the cover and a photo, is estimated at $1,000 to $2,000.
Nielsen said the auction began with an invitation. “Well, my quote is, well, they asked me,” Nielsen said in an interview with Rock Cellar. His son, Daxx, and his wife, Karen, contacted the auction house. The staff planned to spend one day at his home, but stayed for weeks.
Nielsen owns about 800 guitars. “So this is just a small number that I’m letting go; it’s an appetizer,” he said. The sale started with posters and a few sweaters, and later he agreed to part with five guitars.
His first true collector’s guitar was a ’55 Gibson Gold Top Les Paul. He bought it in 1965 for $65 at a used bookstore in Rockford, and he still owns it.
Fans can check out and bid on the items on the dedicated Julien’s Auctions website.
