Appraisals of your Rolling Stones memorabilia. How does this work?

I guess it’s about time I finally write up how to get your memorabilia appraised. I’m getting a dozen or so posts a week, sometimes more on “How much is this worth?” or “Where can I get this appraised?”

I’m happy to help out…. for a small fee.

The knowledge I’ve gained over the years  from researching memorabilia, the countless hours online, the gathering of thousands of images and filing them away, the money spent on books and magazines, takes lots of time.

And lots of money.

I’m happy to share this knowledge, but unfortunately can’t do it for free.

If you are interested in having me either appraise your item or sell it, post a comment on my blog. I get an alert to approve this comment.

Usually your email is given to me.

I will contact you directly and ask for details and photos and the information you are looking for.

I have a Paypal account and based on the information you need, will give you a price.

I can also authenticate autographs and provide a letter.

Happy to help.

Thanks,

Garyrocks

The greatest Rolling Stones album deserves the most creative record store display.

I’m happy to say I’ve once again acquired my favorite Rolling Stones record store display.
Standing close to 48″ tall with near naked Mick in black an blue covering himself with nothing more than Andy Warhol’s now infamous record design.

Incredibly striking for the time, remember this was 1971, as out there as you get.
The Stones never afraid to push the boundaries of what might be considered as “bad taste.”
But, that’s why we love ‘em.

I also learned or realized something that perhaps I should have known already.
This Mick figure often turns up without the back part of the display.
It’s often sold as just the figure described as a variation of the display.

Wrong.

It’s more than likely the figure with the tabs cut off.

This Mick is die cut and stands away from the back of the display with various tabs that insert into slots on the back of the display, giving him a 3-D look.

The one I previously owned had the Mick stuck to the back of the display.
I could see the slots the tabs were supposed to fit in, but they weren’t there.

I can now thankfully cross this off the want list.
Thanks Ken.

Greetings From Asbury Park. Actually Boston. Some rare Bruce Springsteen memorabilia.

I love “The Boss.”
Just recently saw his show in Boston, 4th stop I believe on The Wrecking Ball Tour.
Backstage passes and all.
The show, 2 1/2 hours long.
The experience was amazing.

The first time I saw Bruce was back in 1975, the “Born To Run” tour.
He played the old Music Hall in Boston.
Another 3 plus hour show.
After that, I was hooked.
Seen dozens and dozens of shows since then.
This was one of the finest.
Bruce has still got it.

I began collecting Bruce memorabilia when I began collecting Stones stuff.
There’s not a ton of stuff out there, I’m excluding records and t-shirts.
But there are a handful of super rare promo items worth checking out.

Here’s a few from my collection.

This is one of my more favorite pieces.
Called or referred to as the “Clouds” poster.
The headline is the now infamous quote by Jon Landau who eventually became Bruce’s manager.

“I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.”
Poster is circa 1974.

This record store display probably dates earlier, maybe 1972-73 right after he signed his record deal with Columbia.

The photo feels very “Asbury Park,” “E Street Shuffle,” like.
So I’m guessing this was pretty damn early, maybe even the very first promotional display.

This is one of my all time favorite.
The rare double-sided hanging mobile from 1975 promoting the release of Bruce’s landmark album
“Born to Run.”
A die-cut Bruce stands tall with his trusty Fender, black Converse sneakers hanging off the end.

This is a large record store standee or counter card for the release of
“Darkness on the Edge of Town.”

Bruce’s promo team at Columbia Records also produced some pretty cool jackets and shirts.

I love the promo baseball shirt for “Glory Days” off the “Born in the USA” album.

Is there anyone alive out there selling rare Bruce stuff??????

I’m interested.

Do I collect anything other than Rolling Stones memorabilia? Welcome To My Jungle.

I’ve been fortunate in my years in advertising to have met some pretty cool people.

Like say, Slash for instance.
I’ve always been a HUGE Guns N’ Roses and Slash fan.
Their critically acclaimed debut album “Appetite for Destruction” is still one of my top five favorite rock albums.
Most if not all critics agree it set the bar for heavy metal rock in the 80′s.

I just finished up a TV campaign for the L.A. Zoo promoting a new exhibit called The Lair in which Slash and the venerable wise cracking octogenarian, Betty White starred.
We shot 5 different TV spots over the course of a day at the zoo.
They were both a joy to work with.

And Slash is the real deal.
The rock icon you would expect him to be.
But down to earth and soft spoken.
A true gentleman.

I was completely beside myself.

I happened to have a few rare GNR items in my collection, one I brought along to the TV shoot to have Slash sign for me.
An original ticket and flyer, circa 80′s, from one of their gigs at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood.
The band’s stomping ground and where they played several of their most memorable performances.

Here are a few pictures from the shoot, as well as some other rare promo items.

The “Welcome to the Jungle” welcome floor mat.
Only a 1000 were made and distributed to record executive heavies to promote the album and single.
It would have been tough to get this signed.

Next is a rare record store display for “The Spaghetti Incident,” Slash’s last album with the band. It’s about the size of a paint can.

Okay…you’ve seen what I have, here’s some stuff I want.

Figured it might be time after roughly three years to maybe post some pictures and descriptions of some things I’m looking to add to my collection.
Most of what I’m looking for can be best described as what I don’t know about. It’s always more fun and exciting to stumble upon something you’ve never seen or heard of before.
But, there are some items I would love to add to my collection.
If you have any of these items or know where they are, I’m always interested in talking.

Is “Rare” an over used word? “Rare” Rolling Stones items found on ebay.

Sure I could be accused of using the “R” word maybe a bit too often when listing items on ebay.
And if I had a dime for everyone that used the word rare or priced their item as if it were Keith Richards’ liver, I be, let’s say well off.
So at this point nothing really shocks me.
That said, I’m fascinated at what people deem as rare and therefore feel has incredible value.

If you search ebay highest first prices searching in all categories, it’ll give you a good sense of what people consider valuable.
For the most part you’ll find two categories, signed guitars and Ronnie Wood art.

Here’s a few items I found on ebay that have been listed for some time.

The only known surviving printer’s block for the Rolling Stones first US album, “England’s Newest Hitmakers” (LL3375). Comes in its original cardboard storage box with hand written labeling on spine. Originated from the printing firm of C.L. Schmoyer & Sons in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Provenance from the grandson of the company’s founder.

$95,000.

Autographed Rolling Stones jacket with an embroidered BUDMAN insignia was obtained directly through Electric Factory Concerts in 1989 and features the bold signatures of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and Ronnie Wood. Item was signed backstage on opening night of the Budweiser sponsored Steel Wheels North American Tour at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium.

$25,000.

This jacket is a really great piece.
Never seen another.
The signatures are the real deal and it’s an unusual item to have signed.
It’s over 20 years old now.
The fact that Bill Wyman has signed this and of course is no longer playing with the band, adds to its value.
4 of the 5 original Stones signatures are not that easy to find. Current signatures sets usually are just the 4.
It has everything going for it, maybe except the price.

What would you pay for this?

Some Girls Standee. How rare is it? How much is it worth? Really.

Plug in “Rolling Stones display” into the ebay search bar and you’ll likely see these listings.
The top 5 are all the Some Girls standees from 1978.
Prices ranging from a whopping $3800.00 down to $450.

The least expensive condition being only fair.
This piece has become a pretty commonly seen display on ebay.
Despite being one of the most collectible of all Stones albums, Some Girls displays are not all that rare.
Unlike the amazing English posters.
One produced for each Stone.

Shown is the English in-store poster promoting the new album.
Examples of both Mick and Keith from the individual series.

In 1978 when the album was released the Stones as always broke the rules, and pushed the boundaries of design yet again.

This piece stands roughly 52″ tall.
Meant to stand on the floor of a record store, there was also a counter display version.

The point of this post is to say, prices vary wildly on ebay, you should shop around before you jump and buy.
My advice would be to never pay more than $750 for this particular piece.
If you’re going to drop $3000 on piece for your collection, spend your money on a nice set of 60′s signatures.

You’ll even save yourself a few bucks.

Another rarity from the “Love You Live” album surfaces. Never before seen store display.

This is the kind of thing that gets my blood boiling and keeps me on the hunt.

Rolling Stones collector, Ira Korman from California scored a never before seen display promoting the extremely collectible, Warhol designed “Love You Live” album from 1977.

The display measures 22.5″ x 15″ and is easel backed
That’s a full size LP cover in Mick’s mouth. It’s believed to be English and came out of Europe.

Photo courtesy of Ira Korman and from the Ira Korman collection.

What happens when you wait overnight for tickets to see The Rolling Stones.

An amazing collection of items from the early sixties, including a handwritten letter to a fan from Keith Richard.
The grouping is detailed below.
An example of how provenance can add incredible value of your collection.

All photographs come from http://www.tracks.co.uk/

Keith Richard Handwritten Letter.
A piece of white lined paper on which Keith Richard has handwritten a letter to a Rolling Stones fan. The letter reads
‘Dear Angela, Thanks for your letter, I hope you enjoyed the 2nd show as well. Anyone who queues for 2 days deserves to come backstage, and it was a pleasure meeting you.
Anyway must go – Keith Richard’.

The letter was written backstage at the Odeon Theatre, Leeds, England on October 9th 1965.

*Note…English slang for queues..or queuing.
A waiting list or other means of organizing people or objects into a first-come-first-served order.

An original black and white photograph of Angela and her friends queuing for tickets outside the Odeon Theatre, Leeds, England.

The photograph was taken on September 16th 1965 shortly before tickets went on sale for the show which was going to take place on October 9th 1965.

Tickets for the Rolling Stones show which took place at the Odeon Theatre, Leeds, England on October 9th 1965. Consists of a stub for the 1st performance and a complete unused ticket for the 2nd performance.

Newspaper article. An original newspaper article taken from the Yorkshire Post which details the girls two day wait for tickets to the show.

An original black and white photograph of Angela and her friends backstage with the Rolling Stones at the Odeon Theatre, Leeds, England.
The photograph was taken on October 9th 1965.

RARE ROLLING STONES TOUR POSTER SHOWS UP ON EBAY.

A rare Stones poster shows up on eBay and gets an opening bid of a whopping $12,000.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110705956583&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

These poster are incredibly rare.
The seller oddly enough has no feedback and is a first time seller.
Shows what an amazing leap of faith buyers are willing to take to get their hands on this rarity.

Louisville was the 3rd stop on the Stones first official US tour. There were two shows that evening, November 14, 1964 at 5 P.M. & 8 P.M. The fade on the right side happened when the poster was on display for the show. It is sturdy and on card stock and measures 14 X 22 inches. Both pictures feature original founding members Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman. Ian Stewart was their keyboard player but was “unofficial” so his pic is not taken with the band although he did play at the shows. They stayed overnight at the Sheraton Hotel.

The fine print at the bottom credits Vine Record Shop who had promoted them with in store fliers. Tickets were available there and at Variety Records. General Artists Corporation promoted the tour. The poster was printed by: Murray Poster Printing Company, INC 221 W 64th St, NYC.