Press Release
Source: M2MPR
Julien’s Auctions, the world’s premier entertainment and music memorabilia auction house has announced Music Icons 2014 to be held Friday, May 16, 2014 and Saturday, May 17, 2014 at the Hard Rock Café New York located at 1501 Broadway in Times Square.
Fifty years ago this year, a British rock band called The Beatles gave its first American TV performance on The Ed Sullivan Show and music history was made. This British invasion instantaneously kicked off a phenomenon that continues to this day with The Beatles who remain the biggest rock band of our time.
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary, the Music Icons auction event will be highlighted by an extraordinary array of Beatles related memorabilia spanning decades of the musical careers of George, Paul, Ringo and John. Most notable is a rare 1962 Rickenbacker 425 guitar purchased in 1963 in Mount Vernon, Illinois by George Harrison while on a two-week visit to see his sister, Louise (serial # BH 439).
The guitar was originally purchased at Fenton’s Music store and refinished by the owner from a Fireglo finish to the black George requested to match John Lennon’s similar Rickenbacker. (Estimate: $400,000-$600,000).
Harrison used the historical Rickenbacker for The Beatles first appearance on the television program Ready Steady Go! in October of 1963 and on the program Thank Your Luck Stars in December of 1963. He also used it during a week-long tour in Sweden.
Harrison was photographed with the guitar extensively and the entire band has been photographed posing with the guitar. This is purported to be the only known photograph in existence of all four members of The Beatles holding a single guitar.
George Harrison played the 1962 Rickenbacker 425 in the Abbey Road studios when The Beatles recorded “I Want to Hold Your Hand“. This song gave The Beatles their now infamous big break in the United States. The same studio session included the recording of “This Boy.”
Both George Harrison and John Lennon played this guitar. Lennon played it backstage at a performance in Glasgow, Scotland on October 5, 1963. A photograph published in an August 1964 issue of Beat Monthly magazine shows Lennon with this very guitar.
In the late 1960s or early 1970s Harrison gave this guitar to George Peckham, who had a long association with George Harrison and also Apple. Peckham originally borrowed a guitar from Harrison for his own appearance on Top of the Pops as a rhythm guitarist in the band The Fourmost.
Upon returning it Harrison asked him if he would like to keep a guitar and showed him the Rickenbacker 425 considering is a “great rhythm player.” Peckham kept the guitar on the condition it would never be modified. The guitar case was given later to Peckham by Noddy Holder of Slade after Holder saw Peckham walking around with the guitar without a case and could not personally bear to see a Beatles guitar carried around without one.
The rare Rickenbacker 425 guitar with exceptional Beatles history is accompanied by two letters from Harrison’s office which confirm he gave the guitar to Peckham. One from Olivia Harrison and the other from Caroline Foxwell, Harrison’s assistant. Also present with the guitar is a letter from Peckham explaining the circumstances of the guitar. The guitar has also been exhibited at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, the John Lennon Museum in Saitama, Japan and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.
Other highlights included in the collection of Beatles memorabilia include a Paul McCartney Used Hofner Bass (Estimate: $30,000-$50,000) circa 1966 with mother-of-pearl pickguard. The left-handed vintage bass was rented by Paul McCartney from Harris Hire in Beckenham, England on numerous occasions.
The auction will also feature a very rare The Beatles Signed “Beatles ‘65” Album which was signed circa late 1964-late 1965 (Estimate $200,000-$300,000) The Capitol Records released stereo LP sleeve is signed on the front cover. Paul McCartney signed “Beatles/Paul McCartney/XXX,” and Ringo Starr signed “The Beatles/Ringo Starr.” George Harrison and John Lennon each signed only their name. The item is housed in a frame with a “Gold” vinyl copy of the record. This signed album is very rare because The Beatles signed the back of their album sleeves which were generally the early British Parlophone Records releases.
When Beatlemania hit, the band was not accessible and therefore signed Capitol released LPs or any Beatles album released after 1964 and signed are extremely difficult to find. This is one of only two known signed copies of the Beatles ’65 album still in existence.
John Lennon’s original signed Shroud of Tourin art work (Estimate $20,000-$30,000) created by the legendary Beatle titled at the top right corner “Shroud of Tourin” will also be offered. The mixed media on unstretched canvas artwork shows the image of a man, who appears to be Lennon, wearing two pairs of glasses and the Batman symbol across his chest. He has his fists held in front of him and written on his knuckles are the words “love” and “hate” respectively. To the left of the figure is a cross on a hill with a crown hovering over it, the word “Elvis” in what may be a bowl beneath the cross.
Words and phrases are written across the image in different directions including “Spectacles/wife child love/maijhuana” – “Holy Batman I knew this would happen,” and below the drawing of a radio “tune in if you/want.” Signed by John Lennon above the radio and beneath another drawing of a cross on a hill. Also offered will be The Beatles Signed Please Please Me album cover (Estimate: $40,000-$50,000) which was signed by all four members of the band. The mono LP was their first Parlaphone album released in the United Kingdom in March of 1963.
All of the property in the auction will be featured in a full color limited edition catalogue available for purchase at www.juliensauctions.com. For hi-res images please email caroline@m2mpr.com or info@juliensauctions.com
Public Exhibition Dates:
Hard Rock Café New York
Monday May 12 – Friday, May 16, 2014
10am – 5pm
Auction Dates:
Friday, May 16, 2014
Session I – 9am EST
Session II – 1pm EST
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Session I – 9am EST Session II – 1pm EST
Exhibition and Auction Location
Hard Rock New York Times Square
1501 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Registering to Bid Registration is required to bid in this live auction and can be done in person at the exhibition and auction, or online before the sale at the JuliensAuctions.com Registration page to bid by phone, proxy or in person, or online at JuliensLive.com to bid live online, or by calling (310) 836-1818.
Placing Bids There are four ways to bid in this sale:
1. Bid through Julien’s Auctions Online Live in Real Time at JuliensLive.com.
2. Place bids in the room by attending the auction.
3. Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative, who sits in the room and conveys the bid to the auctioneer.
4. Enter Absentee bids. Absentee bid forms are included in the back of each catalogue, and are also available by calling Julien’s Auctions or online at www.juliensauctions.com.
ABOUT JULIEN’S AUCTIONS: With expertise specializing in entertainment and sports memorabilia, Julien’s Auctions has quickly established itself as the auction house to the stars. Julien’s Auctions presents exciting, professionally managed and extremely successful auctions with full color high quality auction catalogues unlike any other auction company and stars in the network primetime television series “Celebrity Home Raiders.” With media coverage spanning the globe and unprecedented marketing support, Julien’s Auctions has become known as the premier entertainment and celebrity memorabilia auction house worldwide. Previous auctions include the collections of Cher, U2, Barbara Streisand, the estate of Marilyn Monroe, the estate of Les Paul, Bette Midler and many more. Official website is www.juliensauctions.com or go to www.facebook.com/juliensauctions.
