You won’t find stuff like this on Shakedown Street: a massive collection of Grateful Dead instruments, equipment, memorabilia, clothing and posters are currently up for auction via Sotheby’s as part of a lot called “From the Vault: Property from the Grateful Dead and Friends.”
Bidding began on Oct. 7 on the lot, which features a whopping 228 items, and will continue through Oct. 14. The two biggest-ticket items, with estimated values between $50,000 and $80,000, are instruments owned by Jerry Garcia: a 12-string Guild Starfire and an Earl Scruggs MasterTone Banjo in its original case. Bidding for both instruments starts at $45,000.
Other noteworthy items included in the auction are Garcia’s pants from a Nudie suit (expected to net between $20,000 and $30,000), Bob Weir’s 1969 Rosewood Fender Telecaster guitar (valued between $20,000 and $25,000), the stage backdrop the band performed in front of on their 20th Anniversary Tour in 1985 (expected to sell for $50,000 to $70,000), keyboardist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s Wurlitzer 120 electric piano (worth $5,000 to $10,000) and Garcia’s briefcase and handwritten lyrics, which are expected to bring in $30,000 to $50,000.
“We’re looking at the whole story of the Grateful Dead from the late ‘60s through 1995,” Richard Austin, Sotheby’s Global Head of Books and Manuscripts, told GQ. “The great thing about all this stuff is that there is a patina to it that’s from touring and use. We cleaned up a lot of the stuff, but some of it we left more or less as is. The fact that something is scarred or has dings on it, that’s just part of the story.”
You can check out the complete list of Grateful Dead items up for auction and place your bids here.
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