Former Pink Floyd vocalist and guitarist David Gilmour has smashed records in his guitar auction in his attempts raise money for global warming charity ClientEarth.

Yesterday Far Out reported that Gilmour, who sold 120 of his most precious guitars at the Christie’s auction in New York, had identified ClientEarth’s cause to make a real change to the fight against climate change.

Despite early excitement, Gilmour’s sale caught auctioneers by surprise as many of his famed instruments smashed sale records as bidding wars took specific lots way past their initial estimates.

Gilmour’s famed 1969 Black Fender Stratocaster, the guitar in which he used to write iconic albums including The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall, sold for an eye-watering $3,975,000 after it was initially estimated at $100-150,000. The huge sale means the 1969 Black Strat broke the world record for most expensive guitar sold at an auction.

Elsewhere Gilmour’s white 1954 Fender Strat eventually sold for a cool $1,815,000, briefly setting a world record for the most expensive Stratocaster sale at auction as it came before the 1969 black Strat. The world record for a D-35 sale was also broken yesterday, Gilmour’s Martin D-35 Nazareth acoustic was sold for $1,095,000.

After a mammoth eight hour auction, with bids from 66 bids countries around the world, Gilmour’s total price at the end of all the sales amounted an incredible $21,490,750.

The legendary Black Strat achieves $3,975,000, establishing a new #WorldAuctionRecord for any guitar sold at auction #GilmourGuitars https://t.co/pVR93GBhFz pic.twitter.com/Hs0He9TMIn — Christie's (@ChristiesInc) June 20, 2019

“The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming being irreversible,” Gilmour told the charity’s website before the auction. “I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their cause to use the law to bring about real change.

“We need a civilised world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.”

Speaking about the auction specifically, Gilmour added: “Many of the guitars in this sale are guitars that have given me a tune, so a lot of them have earned their keep, you might say. These guitars have given so much to me, and it’s time for them to move on to other people who hopefully will find joy and perhaps create something new.”

#AuctionUpdate The C.F. Martin & Company, Nazareth, 1969 Acoustic Guitar, D-35 has set a new #worldauctionrecord for a C.F Martin guitar realizing $1,095,000, surpassing Eric Clapton's 1939 OO0-42 which sold for $791,500 in 2004 https://t.co/ydaAiLuxsg pic.twitter.com/KPfKFf2Pp8 — Christie's (@ChristiesInc) June 20, 2019

#AuctionUpdate The 1958 Gretsch White Penguin establishes another new #WorldAuctionRecord, achieving $447,000 at auction pic.twitter.com/utfKL68ymJ — Christie's (@ChristiesInc) June 20, 2019

ClientEarth’s CEO James Thornton adds: “I’d like to express my deep and heartfelt gratitude to David Gilmour for this utterly remarkable gift.

“David has a long history of supporting charities and I am honoured that he has chosen ClientEarth to benefit from this landmark auction.

“ClientEarth is working across the world, using the law to fight climate change and protect nature, and this gift will do an enormous amount to support our efforts to ensure a sustainable and hospitable planet for future generations.”

The 1981 Charvel Electric Guitar, used by Gilmour to perform the track 'Comfortably Numb' at Royal Albert Hall, realizes $75,000 at auction in #NewYork pic.twitter.com/KJVEkcL7m9 — Christie's (@ChristiesInc) June 20, 2019