1936 Martin D-18:( Charles Sawtelle / Hot Rize)
JIM IRSAY COLLECTION SUPPLEMENT
1936 Martin D-18:( Charles Sawtelle / Hot Rize)
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Christie’ s Pre-Auction Estimate: 50,000 – 80,000 Price realized: $ 114,300 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Pre-war mahogany dreadnoughts without meaningful provenance typically trade well below six figures. The $ 30,000 to $ 80,000 range is where comparable instruments without documented history tend to resolve. The 1936 Sawtelle guitar resolved at $ 114,300, which places it at the upper edge of its model category by a wide margin. The ownership trail did the work. The guitar passed through Charles Sawtelle of the influential bluegrass group Hot Rize and then to bandmate Nick Forster— a documented musical lineage that collectors reward. When an instrument sits at the intersection of documented hardware and musical history, the pricing model shifts. The Sawtelle D-18 is a clean illustration of how far that shift can run.
136 | SPRING 2026