1969—Columbia MD—Who/Led Zeppelin

The poster that we are offering here is one of those rare occurrences of an ultra scarce highly valuable and important poster being discovered in a garage after years of storage. This poster was tightly sealed in a frame and kept in a light and moisture free environment for decades.

Imagine this concert. The two most legendary British rock powerhouses (next to the Beatles and The Stones) took the stage at a new and beautiful pavilion in Columbia Maryland in the Spring of 1969.

The Who and Led Zeppelin shared the stage only ONE TIME in history and it was this show! Both of these behemoths were at the top of their game at the time. The Who were trying out the just finished “Tommy” on audiences and Zeppelin were just getting their engines fired up. Within a year they would be selling out Stadiums.

This Original Printing measures 22” x 27 ¾” and is in remarkably high condition. The poster is on 1/8" poster board. The front of the poster is absolutely pristine. The colors are deep and saturated ! The ONLY flaw with this poster is a border of masking tape pull around the edge of the poster on the back.

Less than 15 copies of this poster are known to exist and this copy is one of the best in terms of condition. This poster has amazing value this poster closed at auction at $18 000 in 2008!

A true investment grade collectible. We cant adequately express how excited we are at PAE to offer this once in a lifetime opportunity to our customers!

*********Update11:30AM July 21 2011 :********** Due to unprecedented interest in this poster and feedback from several experts we have discovered that this poster is possibly unique as it differs from other known copies. This example appears to be printed on board. The other known copies are printed on thick but rollable paper.

We have carefully examined this piece under high magnification and it is very difficult to state that this is a regular poster that has been dry mounted. There are absolutely no bubbles waves or other tell tale characteristics of dry mounting. Given that the other known copies are on thick paper dry mounting should be easily identifiable. This extremely interesting poster is available for inspection at the gallery.

*****Update 5:00PM July 21 2011. ***** After speaking with the several authorities regarding this poster one possible explanation for this variant is that it was produced for hanging in the box office window. Another is that it is a Printer’s Proof. It is not uncommon for special specimens of a poster to be produced for either of these reasons. Make no mistake about it the uniqueness of this piece cannot be questioned……our phones are ringing off the hook!!!!!

*****Update 11:30Am July 23*****Another trusted source has informed PAE that they have reliable information directly from an individual involved with the production of this poster that confirms the rarity and desirability of this piece. The original print run was less than 50 copies. This piece is indeed authentic. This source says all copies were printed on paper. This suggests that this example was mounted and the white outer border has been trimmed. We have never had so much interest and feedback for one poster before. We are attempting to provide the most accurate information available on this scarce and valuable poster so that the winning bidder can take pride in adding it to their collection. Thanks to all and good luck in you bidding!"