“I used it in the Damned, playing with Iggy… That guitar was part of me”: The Damned frontman Brian James’ ‘New Rose’ Gibson SG sells for over $95,000

Brian James plays his SG on his last appearance with the Damned, playing the Rainbow Theatre in 1978.

The Gibson SG that the late Brian James of the Damned used to officially inaugurate punk rock as an art form has been sold at auction for more than $95,000, smashing its estimate nearly five times over.

This electric guitar should need little introduction. The SG was the headline lot in Bonham’s 50 Years of Punk auction – and it was there throughout James’ time with the band.