Jerry Garcia-played guitar a resounding success at $62,500

 

An acoustic guitar, played on stage by Jerry Garcia, featured as top lot in a specialist sale entitled Visions of Garcia at Bonhams.

 

Jerry Garcia's Takamine guitar
Jerry Garcia's Takamine guitar

The 1985 Takamine was played by the Grateful Dead front-man in his days with the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band.

The guitar was sold in a lot along with two discs, each featuring the guitar on the cover. Also included were Garcia's guitar strap and a plectrum.

The acoustic guitar bore all the signs of touring with a rock band, with scrapes and scratches abound.

However, rather than this detracting from the value, the guitar sold for $62,500, with sales boosted by the band's loyal "Deadhead" fans.

A 2007 auction, also held in San Francisco, saw a Travis Bean Garcia guitar sell for $312,000, while another strap, worn by Garcia circa 1973, made $20,400, over four times its estimate.

The sale also featured a rare "Skull and Roses" banner from the Grateful Dead Movie. The film was shot during the famed 1974 five-night show at the historic Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, shortly before an extended hiatus for the band.

The banner hung there for another four years before Winterland was closed down after a party on New Year's Eve 1978, which also saw the band's final show at the arena. Providing a unique piece of memorabilia for both San Francisco and the Grateful Dead, the banner made $31,250.

Paul Fraser Collectibles' sister company, PFC Auctions, has just opened a new auction, featuring a fantastic range of rock memorabilia. This Paul McCartney owned guitar was later given to Jimmy Mulloch, the guitarist for Wings.


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