Is the IRS Off Its Rocker? Auction Set for Memorabilia

What would you pay a vintage guitar autographed by Ozzy Osbourne, front man for the rock band Black Sabbath and former star of a reality TV show? Never mind that the ubiquitous Ozzy never actually played guitar for the heavy metal group – the IRS is betting that collectors will pay a pretty penny. It’s just one of the many items that the nation’s tax collection agency is putting up in an unusual auction.

The auction— which will be held in Overland Park, Kansas at 11 am on February 25—features a veritable treasure trove of music and movie memorabilia seized from its mystery owner. Apparently, the collector had personal access to all these prized possessions, but fell so far behind on taxes a sell-off was required.

According to an article in the Kansas City Star, the auction includes guitars autographed by various other musicians such as Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and Joe Walsh of the Eagles, autographed photos of Johnny Cash and Pearl Jam, a Jimi-Hendrix autographed album cover, a record autographed by Led Zepellin, several items from the band Nirvana and a pair of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s shoes. Also said to be on the block are snakeskin platform boots once worn by KISS star Gene Simmons, a pair of jeans of guitarist Lita Ford (a past collaborator with Osbourne), a Madonna print and a complete drum set from the hard rock band Anthrax.

The collection is rounded out by several non-musical items from movie shoots, like an autographed motorcycle helmet from “Easy Rider” and a jacket worn by actor Brandon Lee, son of martial arts expert Bruce Lee, when he was accidentally killed while making “The Crow” in 1993.

The IRS won’t reveal the name of the mystery debtor and says that the information is protected by the tax code. It will accept bids on the entire collection as well as singular items. There will be no bias – the auction will honor the bids that provide the most revenue for the IRS’ coffers.

In total, more than 120 items in total are supposed to be auctioned off. The IRS has set an opening bid of $15,495 for the entire lot, but it expects the actual proceeds to go much higher when all is said and done.