Original Woodstock poster starring in Jasper52 auction Dec. 5

NEW YORK – Iconic concert posters of the psychedelic rock era have top billing in a Jasper52 online auction Dec. 5. Topping the legendary acts such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd is an original Woodstock poster signed by its artist. Absentee and Internet bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Santana and many more rock stars are represented in this colorful auction, spanning concerts from the 1960s to present day. Meticulously designed, vibrantly colored and wall-ready, these posters are sure to electrify any rock ’n’ roll collection.

Relive three days of peace and music on Yasgur’s Farm with an original Woodstock poster (above) direct from Arnold Skolnick, the artist who designed it. This poster is an original 1969 lithograph signed by the artist and certified original. The borders have been slightly trimmed by the artist to remove 50 years of edge wear. This famous poster is estimated at $2,775-$3,700.

Another rare and unforgettable poster is the Grateful Dead’s “Skull and Roses” BG26 poster (below) from the Family Dog series. The central image is a drawing done by Edward Joseph Sullivan, a late 19th- and early 20th-century artist. Sullivan created this drawing to illustrate one of the quatrains of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. San Francisco poster artists Mouse and Kelley added the color, as the original drawing was in black and white. The resulting poster is the most recognized image ever used by the Grateful Dead. Since most of these posters were hung on walls at the time of the concerts, many exhibit severe damage and discoloration, and this example shows its age. A top-condition original sold recently for over $12,500 – making a second or third print the option for most collectors. This is the second print of the poster, which is from a print run of only 1,000. It carries a $2,250-$3,000 estimate.

Numerous Bay Area bands and events are included in a 22-poster set produced by the San Francisco poster company known as the Bindweed Press. In the period between 1965 and 1971 in San Francisco, there was an outburst of graphic creativity that is unparalleled in American art. Drawn by a handful of now well-known artists as well as a legion of lesser-known ones, this work is known as psychedelic rock concert poster art. The Bindweed Press owner Frank Westlake printed several dozen of the best-known early San Francisco psychedelic posters including many original printings of the most famous early Family Dog images for concerts at the Avalon Ballroom as well as many posters and handbills for other local San Francisco venues such as Winterland. All of these posters bear the bottom margin notation “The Bindweed Press.” The collection has an estimate of $450-$600.

The Doors were such a big draw in 1969 concert promoter Bill Graham moved their July 25 concert to the Cow Palace outside of San Francisco. To further advertise the show he had postcards printed of Randy Tuten’s original concert poster. A Doors BG186 postcard from this one-time print run is expected to sell for $105-$140 in the Jasper52 auction.

Blues greats John Lee Hooker, Eddie Taylor, Shakey Horton, Jerome Arnold, J.C. Lewis, T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Williams, Curtis Jones and Jimmy Reed all performed at the American Folk Blues Festival October 1968 tour of Germany. A rare original poster – nearly 4 feet high – of this concert tour is offered in the Jasper52 auction, estimated at $450-$600. It features striking artwork by noted German graphic designer Günther Kieser. Several tiny holes are barely noticeable and a slight water stain at the bottom left is also noted in this 50-year-old poster.

The 130-lot auction also includes a few lots of vintage recordings, both vinyl and CDs. The sale’s opening lot is a boxed set of The Best of Jimi Hendrix, which consists of eight discs and a 40-page booklet.

The auction will begin at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5.