During Heritage Auctions’ Entertainment and Music Auction – held on November 11, 2017 – Bob Dylan’s owned and stage-played 1963 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar sold for $396,500. Dylan played this guitar for more than a decade and through his entire set at George Harrison's 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. 

“It was one of his favorite instruments,” said Larry Cragg, the seller and Dylan’s longtime guitar technician who nicknamed the guitar “Bob” in honor of its famous owner. “It’s been a pleasure owning this incredible piece of music history, but the time is right for it to find a new owner who will appreciate it as much as Bob and I did.”

The winning bidder, who has requested to remain anonymous, will receive not only the guitar in its original case, but also the original 1977 purchase receipt stating, “Bought from Bob Dylan, Martin D-28 #196405 and case for $500.00.”

Since purchasing the guitar directly from Dylan, Cragg stored the guitar, with its strings loosened, in a humidity-controlled environment. To this day, Dylan was the last musician to have played the guitar since 1977. It was also the second known Dylan guitar ever to go to auction. 

Dylan owned and played the guitar for at least a decade spanning the late 1960s through the late 1970s. It was his preferred instrument during Harrison’s historic Concert for Bangladesh, as he performed a mini-set, which included “A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall,” “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “Just Like a Woman.” He performed alongside Harrison, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, and other notable musicians.