Between their great music and fame, rock stars are a kind of immortal. (Especially those in the “27 Club,” ironically.) A piece by a rock n’ roller with short burst of stardom can make just about any item a holy relic of rock. Rock n’ roll memorabilia can fetch incredible prices at auction.
What are examples of valuable rock n’ roll memorabilia? Musician-played guitars and other instruments, old posters and records (especially 1960’s Rock n’ Roll), awards, promo items, t-shirts, posters, photographs, or anything genuinely autographed by a famous musician, and old costume pieces are all items that might fetch a good sum at the auction block. To get the most for your memorabilia at auction, contact Central Mass Auctions today, or read on to learn more about.
What makes a piece of rock and roll memorabilia collectible?
First and foremost, the popularity and fame of the musician. The pieces that have done best at auction in the past have included items associated with Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, KISS, and Eric Clapton. Direct connections matter: the closer the connection to the artist, the more the piece will be worth. Direct connections to well-known events (e.g. the Monterey Pop Festival or the “Summer of Love”) make a big difference, too.
Autographs matter less than you think. Even genuine autographs only really matter when musicians signed autographs they used for a significant length of time.
As with most collectibles, the condition of the piece matter a great deal.
Some items’ worth could surprise you. Printed lyrics can fetch a great price, but they need to be the right kind of lyrics from the right point in the artist’s career.
Determining the value of an item you own is unlikely to be a straightforward process. You’ll need an expert to help you determine whether it’s worth taking your memorabilia on to auction.
How much is my rock n’ roll memorabilia likely to be worth?
The most expensive piece of rock memorabilia ever sold went for 2.7 million: the “Reach out to Asia” stratocaster, which was signed by numerous artists to raise money for the 2004 Tsunami victims. This goes to show that a piece doesn’t need to be old to bring in great prices.
Ringo Starr recently auditioned off a number of his own pieces for hundreds of thousands of dollars. At one of our auctions, we helped one seller get thousands for an Eddie Money saxophone.
On average, though, we see anything from pieces that go for $50 to pieces that go for $50,000. It really just depends on what you have and on which collectors you get your piece in front of.
Eddie Money saxophone from Rock and Roll collection that brought thousands in our September 2011 auction
When should you try to sell rock n’ roll memorabilia at auction?
If you want to get in front of collectors willing to pay top dollar, a professional auction is the only way to get the job done. With our help, you can sell your memorabilia to passionate music enthusiasts instead of to bargain-hunters, and you’ll do it with the confidence that you’re leading with the right asking price.
Contact Central Mass Auctions today for an appraisal and to sell your memorabilia for the most at auction.
