(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — ItsOnlyRocknRoll.com is auctioning more than 800 lots of Beatles, rock and roll, music and entertainment memorabilia. The auction ends on June 28.
The rock and roll event features one of the most amazing Bruce Springsteen collections ever assembled, boasting items from all seven of his bands dating back to his earliest days of performing. Included are handwritten lyrics and set lists, contracts, rare handbills, posters and even a signed high school yearbook, plus the guitar that is featured in the 'Tunnel of Love" program book.
The Beatles are a mainstay in each auction and for this auction, ItsOnlyRockNRoll.com is auctioning its most unusual Beatles artifact to date: the actual front door to the Beatles Apple Records lawyer, Nat Weiss' office, which was signed and anointed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Carly Simon Taylor, James Taylor, Cat Stevens and other notables. Lennon's signature is 12.5" x 2.5" and is by far the largest one known to exist! The bidding started at $15,000 and its estimated fetch is well over $75,000. There are many other handwritten and signed Beatles items featured, including a signed poster, program, photo and more.
Other notable Beatles items include a rare historical receipt signed by the five original Beatles: Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, their original bassist, Stuart Sutcliffe, and their original drummer, Pete Best. Another amazing piece of Beatle history is the original master tape for the Beatles' first concert, which was only shown as a "closed circuit broadcast" from Washington DC. This is the only known complete and original print.
The publicity surrounding ItsOnlyRocknRoll.com's previous sale of a poster for The Beatles' 1966 concert at Shea Stadium for a world record of $132,000 brought out another previously unknown copy that will be offered this time in addition to another poster for The Beatles Cleveland appearance in 1966. In addition there are other concert posters, handbills, tickets and memorabilia from the beginning of their careers right up to their final concert performances in 1966.
One of the rare Beatle records offered is the original withdrawn cover version of the LP Yesterday and Today, known as the "butcher" cover, sealed with a letter from the original promo man Allen Livingston, valued at over $20,000.
Other rock notables include KISS members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss' original and complete stage costumes along with Elvis Presley, Duran Duran and Michael Jackson outfits.
An exceptional item, worthy of being in the Smithsonian, is Woody Guthrie's personal copy of Bartlett's Quotations in which he has added over 500 personal entries, many of them signed, with revealing and important notes in his own hand. An original road case stenciled and used by The Doors became Jim Morrison's favorite seat to smoke pot on!
Other concert posters include the 1st European Jazz Festival in 1949 with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Django Reinhardt, and others, plus many other important early jazz pieces. There are also rare posters from The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, The Who, Cream/Eric Clapton, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, The Acid Test, and more.
Entertainment items include original Frank Sinatra awards, Marilyn Monroe documents, a Golden Globe award, and even a Tonight Show Emmy award. The website is http://www.itsonlyrocknroll.com. — Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
