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\n\tIn his lifetime, Indiana Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay amassed a collection of musical relics that likely made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum and Hard Rock Caf\u00e9 green with envy. Now some of the late football honcho\u2019s most prized possessions \u2014 Ringo Starr\u2019s drums, Kurt Cobain\u2019s \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit\u201d guitar, David Gilmour\u2019s Black Strat \u2014 are going to auction<\/a>. The sale follows Irsay\u2019s death in May of last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Jim Irsay Collection<\/a>, which includes more than 400 items, will be on view as part of a free, public exhibition at Christie\u2019s New York auction house from March 6 \u2013 12. Well-heeled rock enthusiasts will be able to bid on the collection during four auctions held between March 7 \u2013 17.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThis decision [to auction the collection] was not made lightly, but with deep reflection and love for the legacy he built,\u201d Irsay\u2019s family said in an October statement, according to The New York Times<\/a><\/em>. \u201cOur dad was a passionate collector, driven not by possession, but by a profound appreciation for the beauty, history, and cultural resonance of the items he curated. From iconic instruments to handwritten lyrics by legends to rare historical artifacts and documents, each piece in the collection tells a story \u2014 and he was always so excited to share those stories with the world. Now, we believe it\u2019s time for a new life for the collection, and it\u2019s our sincerest hope that these artifacts find future stewards who understand and cherish their significance.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe loved the fact that he had them, but \u2026 he loved having it so he could share it,\u201d Larry Hall, the chairman and chief curator of the Irsay Collection, told the Times<\/em>. \u201cHe thought it was cool to own it; he wouldn\u2019t use the word \u2018owned.\u2019 He would say, \u2018be a steward.\u2019 Be a steward of the horse, you\u2019re a steward of the artifacts.\u201d Isrsay would often loan out artifacts and sometimes hosted his own \u201ctraveling museum.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOne of the items that will find a new steward via the auction is the Ludwig drum kit Starr played on The Ed Sullivan Show <\/em>in 1964. (Christie\u2019s values it between $1 million and $2 million.) Another is Cobain\u2019s Fender Mustang, featured in the \u201cTeen Spirit\u201d video and on Nirvana\u2019s Nevermind <\/em>and In Utero <\/em>albums; it could fetch between $2.5 million and $5 million. There\u2019s also Jerry Garcia\u2019s Tiger ($1 million to $2 million) and John Lennon\u2019s 1963 Gretsch Chet Atkins guitar ($600,000 to $800,000), used while writing the Beatles\u2019 \u201cPaperback Writer\u201d and \u201cRain.\u201d<\/p>\n