The music history magic continues with the 1988 Pensa-Suhr MK-1, which was completed in record time so it would be ready for Knopfler to play at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert on 11 June 1988 at Wembley Stadium (illustrated above with Eric Clapton © Ilpo Musto / Alamy). The guitar made its debut a week earlier when Knopfler played ‘Money For Nothing’ and ‘Layla’ with Eric Clapton's All-Star Band at the Prince's Trust Rock Gala on 6 June 1988 (estimate: £6,000- 8,000). Imagined as a crossover between a Stratocaster and a Les Paul in order to cut down on guitar changes during sets, the very first MK-1 model was custom built by John Suhr, incorporating design modifications drawn up by Knopfler and Rudy Pensa – his longstanding friend – on the back of a napkin. It became a favourite studio and performance guitar for the next five years, used extensively during recording of Dire Straits’ 1991 album On Every Street and throughout the 1991-92 On Every Street Tour.

A Red Schecter Telecaster was purchased by Knopfler in 1984 and used to record the hit Dire Straits song ‘Walk Of Life’ and its accompanying music video (estimate: £4,000-6,000). This vermillion red workhorse has become one of his most recognisable and long-serving instruments, with a live performance history spanning Dire Straits' 1985-86 Brothers in Arms Tour through to Knopfler's 2008 Kill to Get Crimson Tour, with notable appearances at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert in 1988 and on the 1996 live concert DVD A Night in London.

The Gibson J-200 Celebrity was produced in a limited run of just 90 instruments to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Gibson Company in 1985. Knopfler’s J-200 is number 40 of 90 (estimate £5,000- 7,000), and John Illsley received number 42, which was later sold to David Gilmour and auctioned at Christie’s in 2019 for $237,500. It was used for a performance with Chet Atkins, both using their J-200s, of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and the 1924 song ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’ at The Secret Policeman’s Third Ball in aid of Amnesty International at The London Palladium, 26-29 March 1987.

The Fender Mark Knopfler Signature Stratocaster Prototype was the result of a collaboration between the iconic California guitar makers and Mark Knopfler in 2003. Combining elements of a ’62 reissue neck dated 2002 and a 1997 body, the prototype was finished in Knopfler’s favourite Hot Rod red, in the style of his childhood hero Hank Marvin of The Shadows (estimate: £4,000-6,000). It was the only prototype made for the MK Signature Strat, and was used for various one-off performances in 2009, as well as on his Privateering Tour in 2013.