From our wonderful Signature concert-poster auction coming up July 9, we’ve got another great cross-section of concert posters, handbills, tickets, and promo posters to offer you to help escape the summer heat.
With only three Signature auctions a year and Heritage’s user database of 1.5 million registered customers, we’re bound to have fabulous items every single auction, and July is no exception.
Depending on what you collect, your favorite poster in the auction could be one of several. The Beatles’ 1966 Cleveland window card just rarely comes up for sale, so I’m tickled pink about that one. I’m curious as heck how the FD-26 Skeleton & Roses second printing will do in such pristine condition, 9.8, especially since now we know it was printed in 1966 like the first printing was (and don’t forget that KC Murphy Bindweed Press Collection pedigree). In the boxing-style world, Motortown Revues have always been at the top of the heap, and we have a stupendous one from 1965 headlined by Marvin Gaye.
Our BG-17 early Wes Wilson poster from the Fillmore is a super-special specimen, graded at 9.6, especially since it’s the first time the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane ever shared the Fillmore stage together. For 1950’s rockers and fans of The King, we have the hyper-rare Tupelo, Mississippi Elvis Presley concert poster that was printed to be used on the day of the show only. That is one remarkably unusual feature of that red, white & blue window card. And speaking of patriotic colors, we have an FD-5 Blues Project Avalon Ballroom poster graded a crushing 9.8 Near Mint/Mint.
It’s hard to imagine Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson sharing the bill in the 1960’s, when Stevie would go on to completely own the 1970’s and Michael would completely own the 1980’s. But there they are, on a rare jumbo poster from Chicago. Also from 1968, we have a couple of Jimi Hendrix beauts that people never get tired of… a BG-105 flying eyeball 2nd printing in Near Mint condition, and Jimi’s lovely Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles poster by John Van Hamersveld.
More sublime, eye-catching graphics are found on the 1932 Duke Ellington robin’s-egg blue poster, with its forward-looking art deco graphics. Some will really be drawn to the unusual circus-like graphics on the Gunther Kieser Doors concert poster, which was used for Frankfurt. But graphics-wise, how can you do better than the Rolling Stones’ 1973 Cardiff, England masterpiece that yes, we’ve carried before, but never graded… and this one’s a great 9.4 Near Mint.
Speaking of rarely graded… how about our Grateful Dead 1970 Panther Hall that pulled down a 9.6 from CGC. The grading company does nothing much bigger than about 22 x 30”, so both the Stones and Dead slipped in just under that size. Back on the boxing-style side, I just love the fact that both Fats Domino and his long-time producing and songwriting sidekick, Dave Bartholomew, autographed a 1959 poster for the owner of Village Music in Mill Valley, CA, where the likes of Jerry Garcia and Elvis Costello used to shop for rare records.
On the more recent front, I just love the graphics on that big U2 European concert poster from their Unforgettable Fire tour. I sat eighth-row center for that tour in Los Angeles, and will never forget it. The Nirvana “Touring” poster from Australia is a real treat, not only for its scarcity but also for the way the blue colors match up so sweetly. And how about that hot pink on the wickedly seminal punk poster from England featuring both the Sex Pistols and the Clash? Yowza, you know some heads banged that night.
And absolutely be sure to tune in a month later, on Sunday, August 21, for hundreds more great concert posters in our Showcase internet-only auction.
Thanks for stopping by, and have fun/good luck with both!
Pete Howard
Director, Concert Posters
Heritage Auctions