Final Auction Price
*Final prices include buyers premium
$4,025.00
Starting bid: $1.00
This lot offers the collecting community an exciting opportunity that won’t soon be repeated. We were extremely hesitant to offer this poster with it’s current 8.0 CGC grade as the poster is DEAD MINT. The only flaw is the blue ink has been applied off registration by 5/8” and the poster exhibits “back print” which is typical for the issue. Back print is where some ink is transferred onto the back of this poster from the poster it was set upon during the printing process.
It is considered by many collectors to be the most famous concert poster from the 1960’s Rick Griffin’s masterpiece the "Flying Eyeball" BG -105. This treasured museum piece represents what is arguably the best artwork ever rendered for a rock concert poster. This poster works on every level. It was created by the most inventive artist of the genre promoting the most striking musician of the era at the most famous venue of all!
The story behind the poster is that promoter Bill Graham dropped the ball the first time Hendrix played the Fillmore by placing the groundbreaking guitarist THIRD on the bill (BG-69). The next time Hendrix came around it was made clear to Graham by Hendrix management that he needed to make up for his previous lack of judgment. Of course he went straight to Rick Griffin to create the best possible work of art. The rest is history.
The specimen offered here is superb state of preservation virtually perfect except for the flaws detailed in the first paragraph of this listing. It is just the second copy to appear at public auction that has been independently authenticated and graded by CGC. The other copy which we auctioned off on 1/8/17 was graded 9.4 and brought $24 161.
We have examined every millimeter of the poster UNDER MAGNIFICATION and can find no flaws in the paper. The corners are pinpoint razor sharp and there is no trace of handling. Totally fresh. Totally original. Closely examine our super-sized high definition photo (keep clicking on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner) to reveal this perfection to yourself.
In today’s market totally original unrestored copies of the BG-105 with 1 tack hole in each corner -WITHOUT CGC GRADING- routinely bring $7500 - $8000 at auction. Prior to our 9.4 CGC graded example that we recently auctioned for $24 000+ we identified two Mint copies that have appeared at auction in the past 10 years both which were sold over 5 years ago. On 2/16/12 one Mint example brought $19 550 and another Mint example brought $15 525 on 10/21/12. Both posters had small problems. Of course neither was independently graded or authenticated by CGC so we don’t know if other problems were neglected to be mentioned.
So what value will the market assign to this classic rarity? Our opinion is that grade should reflect “state of preservation” and the paper here is un-improvable. But we are selling this poster with the unbiased third party opinion of CGC which they say is 8.0. It will be interesting to see what the market decides. Regardless of what the poster realizes now one thing can be certain -- the appreciation and appeal of this poster will continue to grow with each passing year!
Poster - Jimi Hendrix Fillmore West/ Winterland
Sub Title – BG-105
Grade – CGC 8.0
Bands/Bill- Jimi Hendrix John Mayall Albert King
Venue- Fillmore Auditorium and Winterland
City – San Francisco California
Date – 2/1-4/68
Dimensions- 14” x 21 9/16”
Printing- (OP-1) Original Pre-Concert First Printing
Artist – Rick Griffin
Series/ Promoter- Bill Graham
Paper Type –Uncoated Index
Printer –Tea Lautrec Litho
Condition Details – Flawless paper. There are no nicks cuts tears or pinholes of any kind. Blue ink is 5/8” off registration and back print as detailed in the first paragraph of this listing. 100% Original with no restoration. View the detailed high res photo of this lot. Click on the thumbnail photo to see an enlarged photo. Click a second time on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the enlarged photo. A super high res image with every millimeter will now be clearly displayed. For a personalized eyewitness examination call 410-464-6180 11:00 am to 6:00pm eastern.
*****This poster is available for inspection at our gallery by appointment.****