Our current auction has an extraordinary concentration of beautiful prints from two of the most feverishly collected poster artists of recent years: Chuck Sperry and Emek. Both excel at creativity in the art of printmaking and have established a frenzied fan base that scoops up their current releases immediately. These posters sell out at shows in minutes and their “drops” evaporate in seconds.
The demand for these posters clearly outweighs the supply. This inevitably has led to an aftermarket that has taken various shapes and sizes. The most publicly visible of that is the “flipper” segment, which sells recent acquisitions on ebay for an easy and quick profit. A greater percentage of these posters are traded in private fan groups on social media sites. Here collectors offer items for direct sale or by raffle or “waffle” as they're referred to in these groups, where chances to own these posters are sold at a fixed price and the luck of the draw determines the winner.
In our auction, consignments of these posters have steadily increased over the years and now make up a solid segment of our monthly mega sales. Our audience may only contain a small number of individuals who collect this specific genre of poster art, and our auction presents a great opportunity for deep collectors of this material.
As PAE continues to present this sub-category in our auctions, we will build a case for the scarcity and value of these prints. Our current March Mega Sale features a number of highly chased Emek and Sperry posters that have never before appeared in our auction.
Take a look at a few of them below:
Lot 4: 2019 Chuck Sperry Widespread Panic at the MGM National Harbor in Washington DC Poster
This limited-edition poster is numbered 578/600 and signed by the artist, Chuck Sperry! This absolutely stunning poster was created for Widespread Panic appearing at the MGM National Harbor in Washington, D.C. for three nights in March of 2019. Widespread Panic is one of the most popular of the post-Grateful Dead jam bands and their concert posters are highly sought after. This poster won the Expresso Beans Art of the Week award on 3/27/19!
Lot 5: 2011 Chuck Sperry Soundgarden at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Poster
This 2011 Chuck Sperry issue was created for Soundgarden at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on July 21st. The classic grunge band was joined by the Mars Volta for this event.
Lot 6: 2014 Chuck Sperry Umphrey's McGee at The Fox Theater Oakland Artist's Proof Poster
This Artist's Proof poster is signed by Sperry! This beautiful Artist's Proof poster was produced for Umphrey's McGee at the Fox Theater in Oakland on March 8th, 2014. A beautiful piece!
Lot 23: 2013 EMEK Widespread Panic at Red Rocks Amphitheater Limited-Edition Poster
This limited-edition poster is numbered 868/1200 and signed by the artist, Emek! This poster was created for Widespread Panic's June 2013 Red Rocks run. A beautiful, SIGNED poster that is now nearly a decade old!
Lot 24: 2014 EMEK Nine Inch Nails Soundgarden Pacific Northwest Tour Limited-Edition Poster
This is a beautiful limited edition poster by contemporary artist EMEK produced for Soundgarden / Nine Inch Nails pacific northwest concerts in 2014. It is numbered 297/400.
Lot 25: 2021 EMEK Dead & Company Tour VIP Edition Limited-Edition Poster
This is the VIP edition poster from Dead & Company's 2021 summer tour! It is a limited-edition silkscreen numbered 8676/22050. Absolutely stunning!
Lot 38: 2007 Mudhoney and The Melvins at Henry Fonda Theatre Diptych Limited-Edition Signed Sperry Posters
This limited-edition diptych is numbered 162/300 and signed by the artist, Chuck Sperry! Here we are offering a diptych of beautiful posters from a September 2007 show featuring Mudhoney, Melvins, and Flipper at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles! Mudhoney's early material on Sub Pop records was massively influential on the Seattle northwest Grunge music scene, and Melvins were one of the top underground grunge bands of the late 80s and early 90s, inspiring and influencing several groups of the era like Nirvana and the Screaming Trees.
