Hakes will crank up the volume to 11 on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 19 and 20, as they auction the single most important rock music artifact to pass through their hands in 57 years as pop culture specialists. After not-so-quietly residing in a private collection since 1991, the Japanese-made guitar that a barely-known Kurt Cobain trashed onstage at a small gig in Washington will re-emerge and sell on the auction block with a story that deserves its own chapter in the history of grunge. It all began on January 18, 1991, in Olympia, Wash., about an hour away from the Pacific Northwests music capital, Seattle. On a makeshift stage at The Evergreen State College Library, fewer than 500 local scenesters coughed up $4 each to attend an anti-Gulf War benefit concert headlined by an up-and-coming local band, Nirvana. Few in attendance could have imagined how famous or influential the band would become later that year with the release of their career-changing single Smells Like Teen Spirit, from the LP Nevermind. The bands set that night culminated with Cobains violent destruction of a red-and-white Memphis Stratocaster-replica guitar, which was discarded, then recovered from the ensuing melee by Chris Brady, bassist in the band Pond. Later, Brady gifted the battered instrument to his friend Janel Jarosz, owner of The Ooze, a small Portland, Oregon, record shop. It would go on to serve as the centerpiece of a Nirvana display that won a national MTV-sponsored contest. Jarosz, a Nirvana fan, cherished the guitar and kept it safe, even securing it to her record shops ceiling after two break-ins. Now, after 33 years of ownership, she has entrusted Hakes to auction the historical music treasure. The guitar has an open-ended auction estimate, with a required starting bid of $20,000. Other grunge-related items in the sale include a 1991 Nirvana tour crew shirt (one of fewer than 20 made), Cobains high school yearbook, and many signed records. Cobains signature appears on both 7-inch and 12-inch singles, as well as on a boxed set also signed by Dave Grohl and Courtney Love. The auctions impressive selection of concert posters covers many music genres, including grunge, early blues, and psychedelic rock. Hakes will once again head off to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars rarities to amaze even the most advanced collectors. Topping the list is a Kenner Star Wars (1979) Boba Fett rocket-firing L-slot prototype action figure, 3.75 inches tall, unpainted and encapsulated, and AFA-graded 85 NM+. The L-slot rocket-firing mechanism, significant because its spring raised safety concerns that would thwart the proposed production run, is clearly visible from the back of the case. A top prize in the world of Star Wars collectibles, this high-grade prototype comes with a notarized CIB COA and is estimated at $100,000-$200,000. A Kenner Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Princess Leia Organa prototype action figure/doll dressed in a Bespin Gown is from the unproduced 12-inch series. The figure has a 1978 stock Princess Leia body with a different, hand-painted head and hair hand-rooted in a pattern that is different to that of other 1978 Star Wars dolls. Estoteric and important, this rarely-seen prototype is one of only a handful that were produced. With its CIB LOA, it will open for bidding at $25,000. The lineup of rare offerings continues with a Belloq (in ceremonial robe) action figure from The Adventures of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1983). The Series 2/9 Back action figure on card is fully authenticated and AFA-graded 50 VG in archival case. Initially, this figure was offered as a boxed mail-order premium, but it was never marketed to the public as part of a traditional distribution. Only a few of these figures are believed to have been packaged on cards, and presumably they were produced prior to the cancellation of Kenners toy line for the associated film. One of only four AFA-graded examples of its type, the Belloq figure conveys with a CIB COA. An important Silver Age comic book, The Amazing Spider-Man #1, was issued by Marvel Comics in March 1963 and has been CGC-graded 7.5 VF. The book features first appearances of J. Jonah Jameson and The Chameleon, retells the origin story of Spider-Man, and is notable for being the first Fantastic Four crossover. The political section includes one of the most sought-after of all campaign buttons and also introduces the finest political china collection ever assembled. There would be no argument amongst collectors that an extraordinarily rare Cox Roosevelt Club Presidential campaign button Hake #1 is comparable to a copy of Action Comics #1 or a Honus Wagner T206 baseball card. Its image depicts 1920 election running mates James M. Cox and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and like all Cox/Roosevelt jugate buttons, it is considered a salesmans sample. Sized 1 inch in diameter, this button was the crown jewel of the John Gearhart collection and now comes to auction with a $50,000-$75,000 estimate. In the opening session of the two-day sale, Hakes will introduce Part I of a political china grouping that is truly second to none: the private collection of legendary Americana dealer Rex Stark (1947-2023). The rarity, beauty and condition of each piece in this spectacular ceramics trove is something one would expect to see in only the most exceptional museum collection. Just one example is a ca. 1841 green-sponged and glazed pearlware handled mug emblazoned John Tyler and decorated with the American Seal and polychrome accents. The World Series may be over, but bidders are expected to step up to the plate when a 1917 Collins-McCarthy Candy Co. E135 #82 Shoeless Joe Jackson baseball card crosses the auction block. From a 200-card series, this well-preserved example shows a bright, clean image of Jackson in his Chicago White Sox uniform, complete with shoes. Designated Authentic-Altered by PSA due to the slightest margin trim, it is one of only 11 known cards of its type in any condition. Hakes online auction is now open for bidding. For a free printed catalog or additional information on any item in the sale, call 1-866-404-9800 (toll-free) or 717-434-1600; or email hakes@hakes.com. All images courtesy of Hakes Auctions.