DIG Intelligence · Market Index

The DIG IQ Index

A unified dataset of verified auction results across the Irsay Hall of Fame sale, the Gilmour Guitar Collection, and the Cobain longitudinal market. 90+ tracked lots. $118M in realised value. Filterable by artist, category, auction house, and year.

3 Studies 90+ Tracked Lots $118M Realised 2006-2026 Dig · Christie's · Julien's · Hake's

Studies

Market Summary

Total Tracked Value
$118M
Combined realised value across all indexed lots
Indexed Lots
97
Verified auction results with estimate data
Median Multiplier
5.2×
Median realised vs. pre-sale low estimate
Studies
3
Irsay (portfolio) · Gilmour (single-owner) · Cobain (longitudinal)
Universal Pattern

Performative provenance is the dominant pricing variable across all three datasets

Irsay's jazz instruments, Gilmour's Pink Floyd guitars, and Cobain's Teen Spirit Mustang share one trait: direct, documented use at a culturally defining moment. In every study, these lots outperform the broader sale by 3-10x. The pattern holds across artists, decades, and auction houses.

3-10×
Performative premium range across studies
Compounding Evidence

Repeat-sale data proves these assets appreciate

The Cobain Mustang gained 52% in 4 years. The Cobain cardigan gained 143% in 4 years. Gilmour's Black Strat went from $3.975M to $14.55M in 7 years via Irsay. These are not speculative gains. They are documented, auction-verified appreciation on identifiable assets.

+267%
Black Strat appreciation, 2019-2026
Market Depth

The demand base is global and structural

The Gilmour sale drew bidders from 66 countries with 100% sell-through. The Irsay sale realised $84M in a single evening. Cobain items have sold at premium across three different auction houses over 11 years. This is not niche collecting. It is a functioning asset class.

66
Countries represented at Gilmour sale
Estimate Failure

Traditional comps consistently underprice cultural assets

Across all 97 tracked lots, the median multiplier is 5.2x. Auction houses set estimates based on comparable sales of similar objects. The market pays for the story, not the object. This structural mispricing is the opportunity the DIG IQ methodology captures.

5.2×
Median estimate multiplier, all studies
The DIG IQ Index exists because nobody else tracks this market systematically. Auction houses price guitars as guitars. Insurance companies value memorabilia as personal property. The Index treats cultural assets as what they are: a distinct, appreciating asset class with verifiable performance data and a pricing variable that traditional models ignore entirely. DIG Intelligence · Market Index Overview · April 2026

Cross-Study: Multiplier vs. Realised Price

Each bubble is a lot. X-axis = how far above low estimate it sold. Y-axis = absolute realised price. Color = study. Bubble size = multiplier intensity.

Irsay (2026)
Cobain (2006-2026)
Gilmour (2019)

Category Breakdown

Realised value by instrument/object category, aggregated across all studies.

Estimate Smashers

The 10 lots across all three studies that most dramatically exceeded pre-sale low estimates. These are the clearest evidence of structural mispricing in the entertainment memorabilia market.

# Lot Low Est. Realised Multiplier Study

Full Index: All Tracked Lots

Lot Study Year House Realised Est. Delta
DIG IQ Score DIG IQ Index · Aggregate Rating
Index Benchmark
P-Score
85
Avg Performative
V-Score
90
Multi-Source Verified
L-Score
78
Established Liquidity
D-Score
95
Strong Delta Signal

The aggregate DIG IQ of 88 represents the index benchmark: the average quality of assets that the DIG methodology would classify as investment-grade cultural assets. Individual lots range from 40 (personal items with weak provenance) to 100 (instruments at defining cultural moments with repeat-sale appreciation data). The index demonstrates that cultural asset performance is not random. It follows a pattern that the P-Score, V-Score, L-Score, and D-Score were built to identify.

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