Final Auction Price
*Final prices include buyers premium
$28,800.00
Starting bid: $1.00
This lot will be accompanied by a Letter of Provenance attesting to the fact that it resided in the historic Early '66 Time Capsule Collection one of the most exciting and important concert poster discoveries of the past 20 years.
We are pleased to offer only the SECOND CGC Graded example of the Original First Printing FD-2 poster to EVER appear in our auction and the FIRST EVER to appear with the special and rare "S.F. State Activities Counselor" STAMP on the bottom right corner!
The World Famous King Kong Memorial Dance - It is universally recognized that this historic 53 year old poster 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 poster for the very first time. The rest of the poster was designed by The Family Dog's Chet Helms.
Eric King the author of the Guidebook on Family Dog concert posters reports that just 500 posters were originally produced with possibly a few dozen copies having survived the past 53 years in ANY condition. The number of 100% Original specimens that are free of restoration and equal to the condition offered here would surely be a a small fraction of those extant.
Many surviving copies have undergone professional restoration that is hard for anyone but a seasoned expert to detect. Collectors can bid with complete confidence on this lot as this poster has been independently graded and authenticated by CGC as 100% Original with no restoration of any kind!
Here's what one expert told us about the desirability of the San Francisco State Activities Stamp:
"There were several kiosks at SF State locked glass cases where posters that were approved and stamped by the overseers of student entertainment and notices etc would get placed. You had to be very on top of it or connected to get these pieces after they were taken out of the cases as the next weeks poster would get put in. Like you had to actually be delivering the posters basically- or be their buddy. It just lends an air of authenticity to see that this piece was actually posted and up at SF State. Exceptionally great condition just a touch of prototypical scumming at the lower left edges as was typical of the printing quality at Wes Wilson’s shop - Contact printing."
This insider account dovetails perfectly with what we know about the owner of the Early '66 Time Capsule Collection. This gentleman was a student at S.F. State and worked for The Family Dog distributing posters!
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! That's why not a week goes by where a collector tells us they are looking for a Family Dog #2! 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!
Securing a Family Dog #2 requires a certain amount of luck... being in the right place at the right time with the ability to act quickly and decisively when the opportunity presents itself. The chance to acquire this poster with an unbiased expert third party opinion on authenticity and grade by CGC has only been available to the collecting community ONCE before! In March 2018 a same graded 7.5 example reached $31 051 in our auction.
There has just been one Family Dog #2 NOT independently graded and authenticated by CGC to appear at public auction in the past 4 years. It was cataloged as Very Fine with assorted pinholes four pieces of tape on the back and residue on the front. It realized $42 550 in February 2017.
There is no doubt that at today's price levels this poster IS expensive but also a TREMENDOUS BARGAIN. In every other major collectible market we follow items that possess this same level (or far less) of rarity historic importance and desirability routinely trade for $500 000 to over $1 000 000.
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 posters ever created. This particular specimen with the S.F. State stamp and being part of the Early '66 Time Capsule Collection provide a double knock out punch of Unsurpassed Provenance It 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!
Estimate: $25 000-$50 000
Poster – Big Brother & the Holding Company at Fillmore Auditorium
Catalog #FD-2
Grade – CGC 7.5
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 – 13 61/64” x 19 31/32”
Printing – OP-1 Original Pre-Concert First Printing
Artist – Wes Wilson
Series/Promoter – Family Dog
Condition Details – 100% Original with no restoration. Tiny paper loss bottom left edge single tack hole each corner minuscule corner bump top left "February 20 1966" written in pencil on the reverse tape pull bottom right on reverse. 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. *****
*A 20% Buyers Premium will be added to the final hammer price of this lot.*
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