NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 9, 2026--
TNAG Global, the parent company of Nashville’s Carter Vintage Guitars and Los Angeles’ Norman’s Rare Guitars, and Sotheby’s, the world-leading auction house for fine art and luxury objects, today announced an exclusive guitar consignment partnership to bring select vintage instruments and premium-grade memorabilia to Sotheby’s collectors. The TNAG Global team, together with Norman Harris, has curated a selection of rare items from its beloved Los Angeles store to be auctioned in Sotheby’s Rock & Pop auction this December in New York City.
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The collection includes several instruments previously owned by celebrated musicians, including a 1973 Fender Precision Bass, formerly belonging to Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie; a 1975 Fender Precision Bass, associated with the Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson; a 2006 Blonde Fender Custom Stratocaster, formerly belonging to Journey lead guitarist Neal Schon; and a 2002 Fender Stratocaster, previously owned by Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik. Each instrument is signed by its former owner and has been authenticated and sourced by the specialist teams at Carter Vintage Guitars and Norman’s Rare Guitars, who have spent years cataloging the collection.
Phil Everly’s original 1959 Gibson J-200, serial A-31157, will make its New York debut as a highlight of Sotheby’s December music presentation. Finished at Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory in a rare “Special Gray,” the guitar was famously played by Phil in the Everly Brothers’ early years, including their iconic “ The Ed Sullivan Show ” appearance in 1962. Norman Harris, founder of Norman’s Rare Guitars, sourced it several years ago from a former Everly Brothers bandmate and hails it as the most significant guitar in pop music culture and the most important ever to pass through his hands.
“Every one of these instruments was built to be played, but vintage guitars are no longer just for guitar players,” said Ben Montague, founder and CEO of TNAG Global. “We have watched this market more closely than anyone for over a decade, and we have seen collectors shift from competing for fine art, watches and classic cars to vintage instruments. When Sotheby’s came to us earlier this year, it was a perfect fit to bring together Sotheby’s global collector base with our expertise in sourcing and authenticating exceptional instruments. And there was only ever one guitar to lead it. Phil Everly’s original 1959 Gibson J-200, the centerpiece of every conversation about where modern pop music began. This is the guitar that truly started pop culture as we know it.”
“It’s been a real pleasure working with TNAG Global and the teams at Norman’s Rare Guitars and Carter Vintage Guitars, who have an incredible knowledge of these instruments and the stories behind them,” said Craig Inciardi, Sotheby’s music and pop culture specialist. “We’re thrilled to bring such a fantastic group of guitars to auction, from instruments previously owned by some of the biggest names in rock music to Phil Everly’s extraordinary Gibson J-200. The Everly Brothers had such a profound influence on the musicians who followed them, and it’s incredibly exciting to offer a guitar that played a part in that history.”
The Everly Brothers guitar will be on public view at Sotheby’s New York, 945 Madison Avenue, from December 2-14, 2026, ahead of the online Rock & Pop auction on December 15.
About TNAG Global
TNAG Global (formerly The North American Guitar Ltd.) is the family-owned parent company of three of America’s most respected guitar destinations: Carter Vintage Guitars and Cotten Music Center in Nashville, and Norman’s Rare Guitars in Los Angeles. Its specialists source, authenticate and sell many of the world’s most important vintage instruments, serving players, collectors and investors worldwide. Built on proprietary technology, TNAG Global has become the largest premium and vintage guitar consignment house in the United States. The company is dedicated to protecting the legacy of the great independent guitar shops, which it believes are the foundation of the market and must continue through a brick-and-mortar presence.
About Sotheby’s
Established in 1744, Sotheby’s promotes access and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions, private sales and retail. Our deep expertise across 70 selling categories is supported by a leading technology platform and a global network of specialists spanning 40 countries. Selling categories include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate through RM Sotheby’s and Concierge. Sotheby’s Financial Services is a leading art lender and provides capital solutions for collectors around the world, having originated more than $12 billion in loans since its inception. Sotheby’s new global headquarters is now open at the iconic Breuer building in New York City, featuring Marcel, 945 Madison Avenue - a new continental restaurant designed by Roman & Williams.
Phil Everly’s original 1959 Gibson J-200, displayed with Everly Brothers memorabilia
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Pope Leo XIV renewed his call Monday for Argentina to protect its weakest and most vulnerable people as he visited a home for people with disabilities in a symbolically powerful rebuke of President Javier Milei’s austerity measures.
On his first full day in Argentina, Leo made a pilgrimage to the Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, south of Buenos Aires. Founded by an Italian priest in 1935, the institution houses more than 400 people with disabilities on its 123-acre (50-hectare) grounds.
The center, known as the “city of charity,” has been hit hard by Milei’s austerity measures, which have severely affected healthcare and social services. Milei has taken his signature chain saw to specialized therapy programs that for decades have been a lifeline for many of Argentina’s estimated 5 million people with disabilities, freezing payments and dismantling a vital safety net.
Some residents and employees wept as Leo arrived Monday and embraced people in wheelchairs. He chatted with them and told them their lives were a blessing, not a burden on society.
“You can help us to remember the foundation of the dignity of every human being and what is truly important in life,” Leo said in the center’s chapel. He said he dreamed that Argentines would be inspired to replace the pursuit of economic success and the “cult of outward appearances” with “great works of charity” like the Cottolengo home.
“A nation’s progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs,” he said.
Argentina’s Congress overrode Milei’s veto last year to pass a law increasing funding for disability care. But his administration has resisted implementation, citing concerns that it would undermine his hard-won fiscal balance. Care homes such as Cottolengo are still owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Leo’s visit comes days before the Senate is due to consider legislation that would set aside money for disability benefits in next year’s budget. Milei opposes the measure.
Given the circumstances, it was deeply significant that Leo chose to start his visit to Argentina by meeting with the Cottolengo guests, said Kuyen Rolon Rey, a volunteer at the home.
“The people here deserve this grace,” Rolon Rey said. “Choosing such a small place, but big if measured with love, makes us very happy.”
The visit kicked off a busy day for Leo in which the American pope, fulfilling the unfinished legacy of Argentine Pope Francis, is emphasizing Catholic social teaching that calls for putting the weakest and most vulnerable at the center of economic policy.
For many Argentines, though, the day’s highlight was Leo’s late-morning Mass at the Monumento a los Españoles, which organizers said could draw as many as two million people. The same site hosted the last papal Mass in Argentina, celebrated by St. John Paul II nearly 40 years ago.
Thousands arrived at midnight to secure a good spot for Leo’s first Mass in Argentina. It got underway under blue skies on a day declared as a holiday to allow people to attend and relieve normal commuting traffic around the central site.
Among those in the VIP seats were Milei and his sister, Karina Milei, the secretary-general of the presidency.
Isabel Martín, 73, came with her parish group from San Andrés Avelino. She said she was praying for Leo to “touch the heart” of Milei, whose spending cuts have also hit pensioners hard.
“The pope was very specific in his message yesterday,” she said, referring to Leo’s inaugural speech to Milei. “The weakest cannot be the ones carrying the burden of the adjustment, especially poor retirees. If anyone can make him reconsider, it’s the pope.”
Argentina’s minimum pension is approximately $300, about a quarter of what an older adult needs to cover medicine, housing and food.
Leo’s message was also resonating with younger Argentines, who have shown the sharpest decline in Catholic practice of any age group. Margarita Lanús celebrated her 16th birthday Monday while waiting for Leo’s Mass, sharing a cake on the sidewalk with her large family.
“I really like that he says things as they are; he goes straight to the point,” she said.
Leo has been welcomed by huge and adoring crowds in Buenos Aires, the second stop of his three-nation tour of South America that ends later this week in his second homeland of Peru.
Late Sunday, groups of faithful chanting “Pope Leo, Pope Leo,” and “Long live the pope” gathered in front of the Vatican’s embassy, or nunciature, where Leo is staying. A smiling Leo stepped outside to greet them and offered his blessing.
Upon his arrival Sunday and with Milei at his side, Leo cited Francis’ frequent refrain that money must serve and not rule: “The economy must serve the person, not the person the economy,” Leo said in his first speech in Argentina.
It’s a message Leo is expected to repeat later Monday when he meets with business leaders, union representatives and leaders of popular movements at the Catholic University of Argentina.
Among those invited are domestic manufacturers battered by cheap imports since Milei scrapped long-standing trade barriers, and members of Argentina’s largest labor confederation, who took their worries over job losses and shrinking wages to the Vatican in September.
Since Milei took office in late 2023, his austerity agenda has made him an icon of the global conservative backlash against the liberal establishment. Much like its allies in the Trump administration, Milei's government has portrayed the cuts to disability programs as part of a reform process aimed at eliminating fraud and waste in the federal bureaucracy.
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AP reporter Isabel DeBre contributed.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
President Javier Milei attends a mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV Mass at Monumento de los EspaÒoles in Buenos Aires, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV celebrates a Mass at Monumento de los EspaÒoles in Buenos Aires, on the fourth day of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV greets Norma Liliano Donato during his meeting with the staff and residents of the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, Argentina, on the fourth day of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV, greets Marta Torres during his meeting with the staff and residents of the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, Argentina, on the fourth day of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV, left, meets with President Javier Milei at Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, on the third day of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (Tiziana Fabi/Pool Photo via AP)
An image of Pope Leo XIV is projected onto the Obelisk on the day of the pontiff's arrival in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
An image of Pope Leo XIV is projected onto the Obelisk on the day of his arrival in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Worshippers sleep while awaiting a Mass to be celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at the Monumento de los Españoles in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026.. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Pope Leo XIV shakes hands with Argentina's President Javier Milei as he meets authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at Palacio Libertad in Buenos Aires, on the third day of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
