Janis Joplin's suede vest makes $13,500 at Lelands Auctions

A suede vest that Janis Joplin gifted to a fan just a few months before her death has sold as one of the highlights of Lelands' Fall 2014 sale, which ended January 16.

Janis Joplin suede vest
Joplin gifted the outfit to one of her young fans



The vest made an impressive $13,614, accompanied by a signed book, ticket stubs and an art nouveau coin belt. The items are the result of one young fans lucky encounter with Joplin in 1970.

Janis Joplin was performing at the University of Alabama when she met a 14-year-old girl named Jennifer Alexander, who had been brought to her first concert by her parents.

Joplin immediately befriended the girl, introducing her to her band and even kitting her out with a new outfit from her wardrobe, which consisted of the belt, suede waistcoat and a pair of jeans, which have since been thrown away due to extensive wear.

Joplin also signed the youngster's diary, and swapped her seats to the "reserved" section of the concert, with the ticket stubs preserved and offered for sale.

Also selling among the music memorabilia in the sale was a superb Joan Baez and Bob Dylan concert poster, which made $4,421. Designed by Eric Von Schmidt as an homage to Toulouse-Lautrec, the poster advertises the pair's East Coast tour in 1965.

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