Cool! Your ’70s playroom comes to life with toys, posters in Sept. 11 auction

NEW YORK – Between the peace-and-love Woodstock decade and the era of Atari, Apple and Star Wars that followed, America had the real-life version of That Seventies Show going on. If you remember tie-dye shirts, Starsky & Hutch, or any car with a vinyl top, you were there. If not, you can relive the colorful 1970s with a playroom decked out with posters, toys and other fun collectibles available in Jasper52’s Sept. 11 online-only auction. Bid absentee or live online exclusively through LiveAuctioneers.

To give your playroom an authentic ’70s vibe, start with a music or film poster, like the one above that publicized a Jimi Hendrix Experience concert in Stuttgart, Germany. The psychedelic depiction of Hendrix “wired” with colored electrical cords plugged into his head and body is unmistakably the work of artist Gunther Kieser. The poster is rare old stock, still rolled up and sealed, and is 100% authentic. It’s expected to make $900-$1,200.

For another flashback to 1969, here’s an original artist-signed lithograph poster promoting Woodstock. It is one of the last of the remaining known posters from Rapport Press and comes direct from the vault of the artist, Arnold Skolnick (American, b. 1937-), who also signed the included COA. Estimate: $1,900-$2,500

The auction also contains posters for Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind,  the Beatles, Grateful Dead, and other music favorites, along with film posters that vividly recall the ’70s decade. Top examples include a rare original 40 x 60in E.T. The ExtraTerrestrial poster, $1,000-$2,500; and an original 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark poster with an outstanding image of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. The large format 40 x 60in poster is of a type that was produced primarily for major motion pictures, to be displayed inside and outside of theaters. The art was created by the late Richard Amsel, whose work is held in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection. The poster is estimated at $1,000-$2,800.

Now that you have art to adorn the walls of your groovy ’70s playroom, it’s time to add the toys. Start with a 1948 A.C. Gilbert Erector Set that looks near complete, estimated at $50-$300. That should present you with hours of challenging fun. Or how about kicking back and watching a Super8mm film on your own GAF Anscovision 588 film projector. It comes with its original pictorial shipping box and is expected to make $75-$200.

There’s a nice selection of vintage trains and accessories, including a boxed Marx New Haven 1621 engine in original box, a 1976 Tyco HO scale Spirit of ’76 boxcar, and a 1966 Aurora Model Motoring HO scale Loop the Loop Track Set in its original box. Each of these three highlights is estimated at $50-$250.

Explore many other possibilities for your retro playroom in Jasper52’s Sept. 11 Trains, Toys and Posters online-only auction, which starts at 2 p.m. ET, with absentee and Internet live bidding available exclusively through LiveAuctioneers.