CGC-certified Concert Posters Rock the Block at Heritage
Posted on 3/22/2024
Tune in to the days of classic rock with more than 200 concert posters, mostly from the 1960s, certified by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®). Bidding is already underway for these collectibles, which are available in Heritage Auctions’ Music Memorabilia & Concert Posters Signature Auction on April 11-13, 2024.
A top highlight of the auction is an FD-26-OP-1: Skeletons & Roses, Avalon Ballroom, September 16 & 17, 1966, poster graded CGC 9.8 (lot 26319). This famous Family Dog psychedelic concert poster from the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco advertised shows in September 1966 by a band that is one of the most enduring of all time. The Grateful Dead launched their debut self-titled album the next year in 1967. Well-known in the psychedelic poster world, Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley would often search the shelves of the San Francisco Public Library for images and ideas that they could then build their posters around. From a series of skeleton drawings by British book illustrator E.J. Sullivan, they found an illustration of a skeleton picking roses and assembling a wreath from the flowers, which became the impetus for the iconic poster.
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Another auction highlight is a BG-105-OP-1: Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fillmore Auditorium & Winterland, February 1-4, 1968 poster graded CGC 9.0 (lot 26263). This poster was designed by Rick Griffin, a renowned artist of concert posters who is recognized as one of the “Big Five” psychedelic poster artists during the 1960s. Among Griffin’s influences was Von Dutch, a pin-stripe artist renowned for his depiction of the winged eyeball.
Other CGC-certified posters in this auction include:
- an FD-12-OP-1: The Quick and the Dead, Avalon Ballroom, June 10 & 11, 1966 poster graded CGC 9.8 (lot 26304)
- an FD-82-OP-2: The Head, 1601 West Evans Street, Denver, Colorado, September 22 & 23, 1967 poster graded CGC 9.8 (lot 26349)
- an AOR-1.21-OP-3: Biggest Show of Stars, Arena Municipal Auditorium, Topeka, Kansas, November 5, 1957 poster graded CGC 7.0 (lot 26198)
- a G/G-661007-OP-1: MC5, Grande Ballroom, October 7 & 8, 1966 poster graded CGC 7.0 (lot 26181)
- an AOR-2.4-OP-1: Can You Pass the Acid Test? Muir Beach, California, 1965 poster graded CGC 9.4 (lot 26182)
- a BG-8-OP-1: Andy Warhol, Fillmore Auditorium, May 27-29, 1966 poster graded CGC 9.8 (lot 26224)
- an FD-7-OP-1: Euphoria, Avalon Ballroom, May 6 & 7, 1966 poster graded CGC 9.8 (lot 26299)
About CGC
Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media.
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