1966 FD-26 Grateful Dead Avalon Ballroom RP2 Poster CGC 7.5

closed on Thursday, November 9, 2023

Final Auction Price
*Final prices include buyers premium
$2,760.00
Starting bid: $1.00

It’s become evident over the years in this auction that the FD-26-2 Grateful Dead, Skull and Roses 2nd printing poster is less available than its record breaking sibling, the FD-26-OP-1. Several factors may have contributed to this anomaly. Our best explanation is that the reprint likely sold out quickly and those copies immediately went up on walls. This was cheap art at the time and nobody was thinking of preserving a poster, no less a reprint.

 

The original copies of the FD-26-OP-1 (Pre-concert original) were almost certainly pinned up for their intended purpose and then harvested off telephone poles by hungry early collectors. It’s likely that some visionaries held back copies of the original printing, but it would be unlikely for someone to stash a $1.00 reprint. 

 

The FD-26 is without question one of the Holy Grails in the entire Psychedelic Concert Poster genre. This issue is on everybody's top 3 lists of most desirable posters. This world-famous piece of art was designed by the legendary 1960s concert poster artists Stanley Mouse and the late Alton Kelley.

 

The poster has always gotten surprising results, even the 3rd printing gets good $$$ now. PAE has auctioned 8 examples over the years, including another CGC graded 7.5 which sold for $3,900 in March of this year. 

 

--CRITICAL DETAILS--
--TITLE: FD-26 RP-2 Poster
--GRADE: 7.5
--PERFORMERS: Grateful Dead, Oxford Circle
--VENUE: Avalon Ballroom
--CITY: San Francisco
--DATE: 09/16/66
--PRINTING: RP-2; Post-Concert Second Printing Poster
--SIZE: 14.18 x 19.98

 


A 20% Buyers Premium will be added to the final hammer price of this lot. 
High resolution HD photos available on request. 
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