Final Auction Price
*Final prices include buyers premium
$13,801.00
Starting bid: $1.00
The collectibles world has extensively reported on the rapidly growing excitement and demand swirling around vintage concert posters for the past 2-3 years. And much of this excitement and demand is squarely focused on the "high end" of the market. In today's market the "high end" can be described as any poster worth over $10 000. And that's precisely why collectors are so excited!
You see in ANY other major collectible such as rare coins stamps comic books or baseball cards "the high end of the market" STARTS at $100 000 and quickly escalates to over $1 000 000...up to multiple millions! And that's why collectors are so excited about the opportunities inherent in "best of the best" vintage concert posters that can still be acquired for literally pennies on the dollar compared to any other collectible.
When experienced collectors become aware of this unique value discrepancy they immediately want to snap up whatever Legendary Rarities are offered for public sale. Our advice however is ALWAYS the same. BE PATIENT and wait for posters that hit on as many possible positive attributes that a poster can possibly have.
The attributes we lay out as most impoortant are legendary performer spectacular art verified rarity unquestioned originality and if possible special provenance. Very few concert posters can lay claim to more than one of these attributes ... the famous Janis Joplin poster offered here possesses EACH AND EVERY one!
This poster was created for one of the most iconic rock and roll performers of all time Janis Joplin for a concert in Ann Arbor Michigan 3/15/69 one of the four magical years 1966 to 1969 the most historically important era for this entire genre! The poster itself is a massively sized handpulled silkscreen created on thick cardboard that measures 22" x 28".
Experienced collectors understand that any ONE of these factors is a major "plus" as there are entire subsets of collectors that actively seek out ANY silkscreened concert posters and ANY cardboard posters. To have both of these AND a massive size are all but unheard of to exist on one poster.
Now we come to what really makes this poster so famous and special the spectacular art work. This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful concert posters EVER produced!! It is clearly evident that artist Allen Reid set out to create a true piece of art that would transcend almost every other concert poster produced before or after.
Reid made the highly unusual decision to create this poster with the use of fluorescent paints that would reveal themselves under black light. ( See the spectacular photo included) The artist's intention with this poster was crystal clear this was not just a piece of advertising material this was a piece of art that was intended to be displayed enjoyed and cherished for decades into the future! The fact this lot is now THE featured lot in our sale 49 years later is proof that Reid attained his goal!
If this is not enough the provenance of this lot is un-improvable. The consignor of this lot acquired this poster directly from the artist Allen Reid. Reid disclosed to the consignor that just 100 posters were created!
This stupendous rarity explains our auction archive showing just 3 auction appearances over the past 12 years with a high water mark of $14 300 realized 3 years ago in May 2015 for a poster in very similiar condition to the lot offered here. This result strikes us as extremely reasonable considering we have recently auctioned early Family Dog #1 and #2 posters with issues of 250-300 pieces and far more mundane artwork for over $30 000 each!
To sum it up this lot offers everything a collector could possibly want in a vintage concert poster. All of the positive attributes enumerated above guarantees the lucky collector that prevails victorious success in their collecting endeavors. The winning bidder will be adding a World Class Museum Rarity to their collection that is guaranteed to be highly appreciated now and this appreciation will grow with each passing year.
We started this lot description explaining that the "top of this market" for vintage concert posters is ridiculously undervalued compared to every other major collectible market that starts at $100 000 for "the best of the best" and quickly climbs into the millions of dollars. This is one of the most spectacular and desirable concert posters ever created and it's rarity and desirability are secured forever.
It will be up to the marketplace to determine it's value now and the future evolution of this market will determine if and when it's value catches up to comparable collectibles worth 25-50 times more!
Estimate $10 000-$20 000.
Poster – Janis Joplin James Cotton Canterbury House Ann Arbor MI 1969
Grade – PAE Excellent "75"
Bands/Bill – Janis Joplin and Band James Cotton Blues Band
Venue – Canterbury House
City –Ann Arbor MI
Date – March 15 1969
Dimensions – 22” x 28 1/16”
Printing – OP-1 Original Pre-Concert First Printing
Series/Promoter- Canterbury House Presents
Artist – Allan Reid
Paper Type – Cardboard
Condition Details – 100% original with no restoration. Single tack hole in each corner two in top left. Pinhole nick and light crunch right edge. 3 1/2" crease in the bottom right corner 3 small tears on bottom edge 1" tear top edge. Very light stains top and bottom left.
*****This poster is available for inspection at our gallery by appointment. *****
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