During each of our auctions, we sit down with our president, Glen Trosch to discuss which lots he is the most excited about and which items he thinks might be overlooked sleepers. Here are Glen's Picks for our current Spectacular Spring CGC Sale!
Which lots are you most excited to see in this auction and why?
Lot #1, the 9.8 BG-8. What can I say? We’ve always believed in this poster, from the beginning we identified this as one of the top posters in the Fillmore series. WE believe that this is the poster with the greatest potential to cross over to the fine art world due to the direct mention of Andy Warhol. Andy was a figure that was larger than life and is collected feverishly by top collectors
Lot #3, the Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, and the Fugs at the Stanley Theater in 1969! This would be a time machine stop for me. It's not a highly graded piece, but the rareness, coolness and scarcity make this a must have. The consignor shared the great story behind it, which you can read in the full lot description. I love that piece. The lineup is ridiculous! Velvet Underground appear on both this poster and the BG-8, and they really were one of the most influential bands of all time. They appealed to a totally different vibe than the San Francisco psychedelic sound. Not to mention this is '69 Dead! One of sweet spots in the timeline of the band.
Lot #4, the FD-5. The Family Dog Logo in all it's glory. It’s a fan favorite, for sure! It's Scarce in top shape and a must have piece for Avalon Ballroom collectors.It should be noted, that we’re also selling the oversized handbill version of the FD-5, which is actually the size of a mini-poster more than a large Handbill. That is lot #97. The handbill is even rarer than the poster and is definitely a piece that you should be looking at if you’re looking to build a stellar Family Dog collection.
I love lot #9, the VG-14. The split fountain printing effect is gorgeous. It’s another piece that didn’t score a high grade from CGC, but I think that the Vulcan Gas Company posters are some of the rarest of all in any condition. They’re big and beautiful and absolutely undervalued. They were printed in very small quantities and most were pinned up.The Vulcan Gas Company was located in Austin, Texas, and Texas was critically responsible for the emerging psychedelic scene in San Francisco. The 13th Floor Elevators came from Texas, and they were highly influential in forming the psychedelic sound. Janis Joplin and Chet Helms also came to San Francisco from Texas.
Lot #10, the 9.6 BG-186 Doors poster is one that serious collectors chase. This high grade example is not to be overlooked.
Lot #12, the Wilderness Conference poster is great if you’re looking for a beautiful early Stanley Mouse piece. That’s a legendary piece! This copy is unusual as it appears to have some bleed over of the yellow ink that was used for the OP-1
There’s an incredible selection of Neon Rose posters in this auction, including lot #89, the NR-18. This poster is the set breaker, being the hardest piece to find in the series. It was originally produced to advertise a graduate printmaking program a the San Francisco art institute. There are no reprints of this poster, only originals.
There are so many "great" Family Dog Grateful Dead posters in this auction, most notably Lot #101, the misspelled FD-22 Frankenstein piece is an incredible poster. It has always astounded me that this poster doesn’t sell for more. It might be that it’s a single color or that Grateful Dead is spelled wrong. With high grade FD-26's selling for big $$$ this is a piece I would chase!
Then there’s the FD-40, lot #116 which has been consistently rising in value over the past two or three years. There was a stash of clean copies at one point and It used to be easier to come by, but those have long been absorbed by collectors. This copy graded a 9.8 so you’re not going to do much better than that!
There’s also lot #123, the FD-54. Surprisingly, we have not auctioned too many of these so it lead us us to believe that it's a lot scarcer than people realize.
And every Family Dog collector needs this classic Moscoso Doors piece, lot #125. This is another tough piece to find in good shape.
Lot #176, the BG-9 handbill was designed for the first appearance of the Grateful Dead at the Fillmore.
Which posters in this auction might be overlooked by collectors?
Lot #13, a killer Gary Grimshaw piece designed for the MC5 at the Straight Theater. That’s a great poster, and it’s rare for Grimshaw to create posters for a San Francisco show in the '60's as he was busy being the master of the Grande Ballroom series.
Lot #40, the Neville Brothers and Professor Longhair Mardi Gras Mambo poster from New Orleans in 1977.
Lot #50, Howlin’ Wolf at the Matrix in 1967. It’s a low grade, but an incredible piece. The Matrix was such a small club, I can’t imagine how this show went. It’s a hard to image this larger than life legend playing at a former pizza shop in the Marina!
Lot #60, Delaney, Bonnie, and Friends with Eric Clapton at the Electric Factory in 1970. That was the band that became Derek and the Dominos! And paper artifacts from the Electric Factory are hard to find.
Lot #94, the Goose Lake festival handbill is great. That was a legendary Stooges show, and there’s also Savoy Brown, Jethro Tull, Joe Cocker… I love this piece and it doesn’t come up often at all.
There are a couple of rare, super early Fillmore handbills. There’s lot #42, the Allen Ginsberg handbill. It’s kind of plain but it’s Beat legend Ginsberg at the Fillmore in 1966. Then there’s lot #48, Benefit for the Both/And Club with Big Mama Thornton and Jefferson Airplane.
Lot #91, an early Grande Ballroom handbill is amazing. It’s on thin paper and is another piece with a low grade, but it’s wild.
Finally, don't sleep on lot #216! This is an original card for the BG-105, which is arguably one of the most popular and beautiful posters of all time. It is nearly impossible to find the BG-105 first printing poster today, especially in good condition, and the value and popularity of cards is steadily rising. This is a great, classic image, and the card is in phenomenal condition, graded a 9.6 by CGC.
There are so many amazing posters available in this auction and we’re excited to have the opportunity to share them with you. Make sure to place your bids before the auction closes on Thursday, April 8th at 9:00 pm EDT!
