Final Auction Price
*Final prices include buyers premium
$10,200.00
Starting bid: $1.00
This handbill is signed in pencil by the artist Wes Wilson!
The Finest CGC Graded specimen to ever appear at public auction!
A huge milestone has been achieved for Psychedelic Art Exchange with this first CGC auction lot of the new decade! We are pleased to offer the FINEST QUALITY CONDITION CGC Graded example of the Original First Printing FD-2 handbill to EVER appear in a public auction! It is quite possibly the finest known specimen to exist. The handbill was originally printed on 3 different colors of paper: White Pink and Yellow - All are considered Pre-Concert First Printings - This example here being the ULTRA RARE Pink version.
The World Famous King Kong Memorial Dance - It is universally recognized that this historic 54 year old handbill is without a doubt the rarest issue in The Family Dog series. The iconic and very popular Family Dog logo designed by Wes Wilson appears on a concert handbill for the very first time. The rest of the image was designed by The Family Dog's Chet Helms.
Handbills are FAR more easily counterfeited than posters. CGC has brought much needed integrity and stability to this marketplace. Collectors can bid with complete confidence on this lot as this handbill has been independently graded and authenticated by CGC as 100% Original with no restoration of any kind!
A Special Opportunity - It has been customary amongst advanced collectors to quietly trade Major Rarities such as this lot on a private basis for other Major Rarities. The reason for this is simple money can be found anywhere everyone has it! There are literally thousands of collectors assembling Family Dog sets but just a very few can own this KEY TO THE SET and claim a COMPLETE COLLECTION... regardless of their financial resources!
If you are even daydreaming about the possibility of bidding on this lot we urge you to read our blog dated 3/8/2010 about the importance on focusing on collecting THE KEYS TO A SET. It's always convenient and easy to set aside the rarest most expensive and hardest to find issues "for later". This is a mistake on two different levels:
First the KEYS to a set always enjoy massive demand that far exceeds the tiny available supply. It's like ocean front property they are not making anymore of it and prices steadily increase over the long term. If you are going to own this poster "one day" there is no time like the present!
Second many collectors will look at the high values KEYS command and dismiss them immediately as "unaffordable". Then those same collectors will proceed to collect all the less expensive issues in the series spending multiples of what the KEY TO THE SET was available for in the first place.
This is a VERY common and costly mistake that leaves collectors "kicking themselves" years later. Almost every single collector has a story of "I wish I snapped up ABC when I had a chance to acquire it for just $XYZ!" Don't let this be you. Not this time!
The Bottom Line - The collector that prevails victorious in this bidding competition will be adding a major Museum Rarity to their collection. The Family Dog #2 always has been and always will be one of the most sought after concert handbills ever created. This particular specimen in Superb Museum Quality Condition and SIGNED by the artist is sure to bring the new owner much enjoyment now while the appreciation and appeal of this legendary rarity is sure to increase with each passing year! Read our blog dated 1/20/18 where we discuss the skyrocketing demand for signed material such as this lot!
A note about value- The value of this handbill is impossible to ascertain as it is the finest to ever appear at auction and the finest by far that we have ever seen or heard about. The Pink version is exponentially rarer than the White issue itself a MAJOR RARITY particularly in 100% restoration free condition. (Over 3/4 of the 5-6 we know about have been restored.) The Pink version appears just ONE other time in our archives. An unsigned specimen that was NOT independently authenticated and graded by CGC realized $14 008 on 5/22/16. That specimen was cataloged as "Near Mint with the lightest of handling". A Yellow version cataloged as "Beautiful Near Mint Condition" that was NOT independently authenticated and graded by CGC but WAS signed realized $15 950 on 2/24/13.
Clearly these impressive values are the result of THREE major factors coming together. Number one the POSTER for the FD-2 routinely realizes $30 000-$35 000 in heavily damaged condition. The poster graded 9.6 by CGC would likely realize well over $100 000. These numbers are out of reach of many creating MASSIVE DEMAND for the handbills which are also INSANELY RARE so that collectors have something to fill that all important hole in their Family Dog collection. Secondly as mentioned above the FD-2 handbill particularly the PINK version offered here is all but impossible to find in ANY condition! Lastly recent auction results have repeatedly confirmed that there is a ravenous demand for any vintage concert posters and handbills that are both A) Keys to the set and B) the finest known specimens.
This lot a MAJOR MUSEUM MASTERPIECE delivers on ALL of these conditions and represents an opportunity that may never present itself again.
Handbill – Big Brother & the Holding Company Fillmore
Catalog #FD-2 King Kong
Grade – CGC 9.6
Bands/Bill – The Great Society Grass Roots Big Brother & The Holding Company Quicksilver Messenger Service
Venue – Fillmore Auditorium
City – San Francisco California
Date – 2/26/1966
Dimensions – 5 31/64" x 8 33/64"
Printing – OHB-B Original Pre-Concert First Printing Pink Paper
Artist – Wes Wilson
Series/Promoter – Family Dog
Condition Details – Superb Museum Quality with no visible flaws of any kind. No nicks cuts tears or pinholes! 100% Original with no restoration.
*****This handbill is available for inspection at our gallery by appointment. *****
*A 20% Buyers Premium will be added to the final hammer price of this lot.*
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