This one’s for guitar lovers. Especially lovers of guitars made by C.F. Martin and Company.

And, narrowing the scope even further, it’s for serious lovers of guitars made by C.F. Martin and Company who have a healthy bank account or know a friendly banker.

The Nazareth, Pa., instrument maker is selling almost 50 guitars from its collection on Oct. 10. The vast majority of instruments in this unique selection are hand-made prototypes never before offered for sale to the public. Many prototypes of signature Martin models and limited edition guitars are among the offerings.

An example on the upper end of the sale bill is a rare prototype of Martin’s D-50 Deluxe, made in 2000 and carrying an estimated value going into the auction between $24,000 and 35,000.

The sale, to be held Oct. 10 in New York City, will be conducted by the iconic high-end auction firm, Christies.

The proceeds from the Martin sale guitars will go to benefit the non-profit Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation.

But Martin doesn’t have the corner on this auction, which Christies is billing as a “fine instrument sale” of guitars and violins. Other guitar makers represented on the sale bill are Gibson, Fender, Francisco Simplicio and Manuel Ramirez.

The sale will also feature a violin made by Antonio and Omobono Stradivari. Christies describes the instrument thusly: “Known as The Baldiani, circa 1730, it possesses a rich and interesting provenance, tracing it back to Italian Countess Baldiani by way of Suzanne Chaigneau, the daughter-in-law of virtuoso Joseph Joachim.”

The violin’s estimated worth, according to pre-sale publicity from Christies, is $150,000 to $250,000.

One of the top Gibson items on the sale bill is a Flying V, made in 1958, and valued between $60,000 and $80,000.

Pre-sale viewings of the instruments are going on this week at Christies, 20 Rockefeller Plaza, in New York City.

The lot of all instruments, including the estimated value of each offering, can also be viewed at http://www.christies.com.

Inquiries can be made to Katie Banser at 1-212-707-5974 or by e-mailing kbanser@christies.com.