London, 30 April 2026 - There were impressive results for Bonhams 50 Years of Punk sale which ended today (30 April 2026), celebrating the bands, style, artifacts and energy of one of music's most impactful genres.
The top lot was The Gibson SG Standard Electric Guitar used by Brian James of The Damned, which sold for £70,250. The guitar was used extensively on the albums Damned Damned Damned and Music For Pleasure and had an estimate of £12,000 - £15,000. Brian James also wrote and recorded New Rose on the guitar, the first punk single to be released in the UK, on 22nd October 1976 on Stiff Records. The Original and Unique Handwritten Lyrics for New Rose, 1976, also featured in the sale achieving £15,360, against an estimate of £8,000 - 12,000.
From the Sex Pistols and The Clash to the Ramones and Blondie, from Vivienne Westwood to Jamie Reid, the sale, which ran from 20-30 April online on bonhams.com, brought together the very best from the world of punk music, fashion, art and pop culture. The sale also featured items from the collections of Brian James, Julian Temple, Andrew Czezowski, Susan Carrington and Toby Mott, amongst many others.
Fred Lawton, Head of Sale, commented: "There has been a great level of interest in this sale celebrating 50 Years of Punk, and the results show that interest in the genre is still very much alive."
Other Highlights of the sale included:
• Lou Reed: A Stage-Played Rick Kelly Telecaster. Sold for £20,480. (Estimate: £7,000 to 9,000.)
• Sex Pistols: A Rare A&M Single of God Save The Queen, 1977. Sold for £16,640.
• The Ramones: An Original Sire Records Baseball Bat used to Promote Blitzkrieg Bop,1976. Sold for £4,864.
• Sex Pistols: A Rare Original A&M Records God Save The Queen Promotional Poster,1977. Sold for £4,864.
• Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm Mc Laren: A Rock N Roll Elvis t-shirt, circa 1974. Sold for £3,584.
• Terry Chimes/The Clash/Black Sabbath: The Extensively Used Ludwig Snare Drum, circa 1980. Sold for £3,072.
(Press Release)
