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.

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.

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.

Some girls give me money, Some girls buy me clothes.

I thought I’d start the New Year off by writing a post on one of my favorite Stones albums, Some Girls.

Some Girls is the 14th British and 16th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1978.
Considered a highlight of their output and the best of their post-Exile on Main St. records, the album revitalized the band’s career upon its release and re-established The Rolling Stones as a vital rock and roll band in an era infused with punk rock and disco.
It also became the band’s biggest-selling album in the United States, with more than six million copies to date.
Some Girls is ranked number 269 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

At least as important for the band’s reinvigoration was the addition of Ronnie Wood to the lineup, as Some Girls was the first album recorded with him as a full member. His guitar playing style meshed with that of Keith Richards.
Wood’s slide guitar playing would become one of the band’s hallmarks, and his unconventional uses of the instrument are prominent on Some Girls.
In addition, Jagger, who had learned to play guitar over the previous decade, contributed a third guitar part to many songs. This gave songs like “Respectable” a three-guitar lineup.

Here’s the framed shirt Keith wore in the “Respectable” video shot on May 2, 1978.

Mick Jagger is generally regarded as the principal creative force behind Some Girls, a conception that, though disputable (Richards was present at all of the sessions), is plausible considering Richards’ various legal entanglements at the time. Jagger claimed in a 1995 interview to have written a great number of the album’s songs (though when the amount was pointed out to him he denied that the record was mostly his own), including its signature song, “Miss You.” In addition to punk, Jagger claims to have been influenced by dance music, most notably disco, during the recording of Some Girls, and cites New York City as a major inspiration for the album, an explanation for his lyrical preoccupation with the city throughout.

The inspiration for the record was really based in New York and the ways of the town. I think that gave it an extra spur and hardness. And then, of course, there was the punk thing that had started in 1976. Punk and disco were going on at the same time, so it was quite an interesting period. New York and London, too. Paris—there was punk there. Lots of dance music. Paris and New York had all this Latin dance music, which was really quite wonderful. Much more interesting than the stuff that came afterward.

Above is a complete Some Girls press kit signed by the band as well as Ian Stewart and Ian McLargen.
Ronnie Wood signed Woody which he never does.
The Art Collins collection.

Rare boxing style poster.

A real oddity.
The die-cut faces that were once part of the original graphics for the Some Girls album cover.
Mick threw these into the audience instead of his traditional rose petals during the brief 1978 tour.

Rare Rolling Stones 3-D Satanic Promo Display sells for record price.

Price $12,605.15.

The description on ebay is as follows:
The Rolling Stones ULTRA RARE Shop promotional display stand for the 1968 release of there psychedelic masterpiece. Satanic Majesties.This was the Stones answer to the release of Sgt Pepper and the 3D plaque contains the Beatles faces mixed into the flowers.There were many thousand small 3D flashers made but only 150 of these large size 14″ x 14″. I have only saw 1 listed on ebay and they want £3000 this is only for the plaque.To find the plaque and original shop display stand is like hens teeth.The whole stand size is Height 755mm Width 495mm. Condition is very good for age slight dog ear to corners also pin hole to the H in the.

No I didn’t buy this. I have a daughter in college and another one ready to go next year.
But whoever did, wow.

“Hey GaryRocks, I have one of those, what’s it worth?”

Ever since I began writing this blog I’ve received hundreds of requests from readers to appraise their Stones items.
Usually it’s a message that says…”Hey I have one of those, what’s it worth?”
In the beginning I was very free and open with information.

That information I was so willing to pass along, has taken years of research to acquire.
Hundreds of hours online, searching for photos and information that helps me build a base of knowledge that will help me continue to collect and buy with confidence.
Years of making mistakes, losing money, missing out on items I should have bought but didn’t because I didn’t know any better.
You make a few mistakes, you learn.
I would never consider myself an expert, but have been collecting this “stuff” long enough now to have learned a few things and seen a few things.
I feel comfortable advising or at the very least sending people off to others who are far better appraising certain rare items than I am.

I liked helping people, really…..until after passing along what I’d consider valuable information, I started seeing these items show up on ebay.

Hmmmm?

After I advised, I would on occasion express an interest in buying some of these rarities, and guess what, I never got a response.
That’s where the conversation abruptly ended.

No surprise heh?

I realized most if not all were just interested in picking my brain for free.
Make them smarter, at no cost.
So unfortunately I’ve had to stop.

So for those interested in appraisals, happy to do so for a small fee payable to Paypal, or the chance to buy your item if I’m interested.

Thanks for understanding.
GaryRocks

Charlie Watts. Gentleman, Artist, Horse Breeder, Cricket Fanatic, Jazz bandleader and one of the world’s greatest drummers.

Charles Robert “Charlie” Watts (born 2 June, 1941) is an English drummer best known as a member (from January 1963 through the present) of The Rolling Stones. He is a jazz bandleader, record producer, commercial artist and horse breeder. Mick Jagger sometimes refers to Watts as “The Wembley Whammer” when introducing him during concerts.

Charlie Watts was born to a lorry driver for a precursor of British Rail and his wife at University College Hospital, London, and raised (along with his sister Linda) in Islington and then Wembley. He attended Tylers Croft Secondary Modern School from 1952 to 1956; as a schoolboy, he displayed a talent for art, cricket and football.

Watts’s parents gave him his first drum kit in 1955; he was interested in jazz, and would practice drumming along with jazz records he collected. After completing secondary school, he enrolled at Harrow Art School (now the University of Westminster), which he attended until 1960. After leaving school, Watts worked as a graphic designer for an advertising company, and also played drums occasionally with local bands in coffee shops and clubs. In 1961 he met Alexis Korner, who invited him to join his band, Blues Incorporated. At that time Watts was on his way to a sojourn working as a graphic designer in Denmark, but he accepted Korner’s offer when he returned to London in February 1962.

Watts played regularly with Blues Incorporated as well as working at the advertising firm of Charles, Hobson, and Grey. It was in mid-1962 that Watts first met Brian Jones, Ian “Stu” Stewart, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who also frequented the London rhythm and blues clubs; but it wasn’t until January 1963 that Watts finally agreed to join the Rolling Stones.

Watts has been involved in many activities outside his high-profile life as a member of the Rolling Stones.
In 1964, he published a cartoon tribute to Charlie Parker entitled Ode to a High Flying Bird.

Although he has made his name in rock, his personal tastes focus on jazz; in the late 70s, he joined Ian “Stu” Stewart in the back-to-the-roots boogie-woogie band Rocket 88, which featured many of the UK’s top jazz, rock and R&B musicians. In the 1980s, he toured worldwide with a big band that included such names as Evan Parker, Courtney Pine, and Jack Bruce, who was also a member of Rocket 88. In 1991, he organized a jazz quintet as another tribute to Charlie Parker. 1993 saw the release of Warm And Tender, by the Charlie Watts Quintet, which included vocalist Bernard Fowler. This same group then released Long Ago And Far Away in 1996. Both records included a collection of Great American Songbook standards. After a successful collaboration with Jim Keltner on The Rolling Stones’ Bridges to Babylon, Charlie and Jim released a techno/instrumental album called simply Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project. Featuring the names of his favourite jazz drummers, Charlie stated that even though the tracks bore such names as the “Elvin Suite” in honor of the late Elvin Jones, Max Roach and Roy Haynes, they were not copying their style of drumming, but rather, capturing a feeling by those artists. Watts At Scott’s was recorded with his group, The Charlie Watts Tentet, at the famous jazz club in London, Ronnie Scott’s. In April 2009 he started to do concerts with “The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie” together with pianists Axel Zwingenberger and Ben Waters plus his childhood friend Dave Green on bass.

Besides his musical creativity, he contributed graphic art to early records such as the Between the Buttons record sleeve and was responsible for the famous 1975 tour announcement press conference in New York City. The band surprised the throng of waiting reporters by driving and playing “Brown Sugar” on the back of a flatbed truck in the middle of Manhattan traffic; a gimmick AC/DC copied later the same year, Status Quo repeated the trick for the 1984 video to “The Wanderer” and U2 would later emulate it in the 2004 video for “All Because of You”. Watts remembered this was a common way for New Orleans jazz bands to promote upcoming dates. Moreover, with Jagger, he designed the elaborate stages for tours, first contributing to the lotus-shaped design of that 1975 Tour of the Americas, as well as the 1989–1990 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour.

There are many instances where Jagger and Richards have lauded Watts as the key member of The Rolling Stones. Richards went so far as to say in a 2005 Guitar Player magazine interview that the Rolling Stones would not be, or could not continue as, the Rolling Stones without Watts. An example of Watts’s importance was demonstrated in 1993, after Bill Wyman had left the band. After auditioning several bassists, Jagger and Richards asked Watts to choose the new bass player; he selected the respected session musician Darryl Jones, who had previously been a sideman for both Miles Davis and Sting.

In 1989, the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the July 2006 issue of Modern Drummer, Watts was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame along with Steve Gadd, Keith Moon, Buddy Rich and other highly esteemed drummers.

Charlie Watts plays Gretsch drums and a variety of brands of cymbals, mostly UFIP. His drums are 1956-7 Gretsch Round Badge: a 22″ (56 cm) bass drum, a 16″ (41 cm) floor tom, a 12″ (30 cm) tom and a 5-by-14-inch (13 cm × 36 cm) snare drum. Cymbals he is known to use include: an 18″ UFIP Natural Series Fast China, a UFIP Rough Series China with rivets, a very old UFIP Flat Ride, an Avedis Zildjian Swish, and a very old set of hi-hats, brand unknown.