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Sothebys: Rock and Pop

Auction Reports

Auction Name Rock and Pop Total Sales (USD) 483,328.00
Auction Date April 23, 2026 - April 23, 2026 Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 350,000.00
Sale Number #N12091 High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 485,000.00
Total Lots 50
Sold Lots 31.0 Low Estimate of All Lots (USD) 713,000.00
% of Lots Sold 62.00% High Estimate of All Lots (USD) 966,000.00
Unsold Lots 19 Total Sales as a % of High Est. 50.03%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Top Sale Price Lots
Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
87 David Bowie

An original working manuscript for David Bowie’s “The Jean Genie,” ca. 1972

N/A USD 125,000.00 - 150,000.00 USD 153,600.00
9 Elvis Presley

A signed travel bible, ca. [1970s]

N/A USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 57,600.00
73 Noel Gallagher | Oasis

A manuscript lyric sheet for “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” ca. 1995

N/A USD 30,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD 38,400.00
51 Beastie Boys

A signed “To the 5 Boroughs” 12” vinyl

N/A USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 20,480.00
69 Nirvana

A signed poster from the inaugural Rock for Choice benefit concert—featuring Nirvana, Hole, L7 and Sister Double Happiness, ca. 1991

N/A USD 15,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD 19,200.00
79 John Lennon

A special collection of materials from John Lennon’s Japanese immersion course—including a hand-drawn sketchbook—ca. 1976

N/A USD 12,000.00 - 18,000.00 USD 19,200.00
66 Nirvana

A special square promotional poster for “Nevermind,” signed by the band

N/A USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 17,920.00
31 Queen

A set of 4 signed photographs, ca. [1980]

N/A USD 10,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 12,800.00
98 Bruce Springsteen

Manuscript lyric sheet for “Backstreets,” ca. 1974

1975 USD 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 12,800.00
35 Queen

A signed “A Night at the Opera” 12” vinyl, ca. 1975

N/A USD 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD 10,880.00
116 Prince

An autographed Prince & The Revolution poster, ca. 1984

N/A USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 10,880.00
20 The Rolling Stones

A signed “Aftermath” 12” vinyl, ca. 1966

N/A USD 7,000.00 - 9,000.00 USD 9,600.00
117 Prince

A manuscript lyric sheet, handwritten by Prince

N/A USD 20,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD 8,960.00
118 Taylor Swift

A signed “1989” 12” vinyl

1989 USD 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD 8,960.00
62 Sex Pistols | The Clash

A promotional poster for the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the UK” tour, ca. 1976

N/A USD 5,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD 7,680.00
34 Queen

A signed concert ticket, ca. 1975

1975 USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 7,040.00
64 Sex Pistols

A Warner Bros. Records Inc. contract and signed “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols” 12” vinyl, ca. 1977

1977 USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 7,040.00
121 Jimi Hendrix

A signed “Purple Haze” 45 RPM sleeve, ca. 1967

N/A USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 7,040.00
49 Led Zeppelin

A signed flyer for Led Zeppelin’s performances at Earl’s Court, ca. 1975

1975 USD 7,000.00 - 9,000.00 USD 6,400.00
108 Bob Dylan

A concert poster from Bob Dylan’s show at Island Garden in West Hempstead, NY, ca. 1966

1966 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 6,400.00
84 [Pink Floyd]

An original Pink Floyd “Games for May” concert poster, ca. 1967

1967 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 5,376.00
82 George Harrison | Ravi Shankar

A group of ephemera—including a signed thank you note from George Harrison to Ravi Shankar—regarding the Concert for Bangladesh, ca. 1971-1972

N/A USD 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD 5,120.00
71 U2

A signed "The Joshua Tree" album insert, ca. 1987

N/A USD 4,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 4,864.00
2 Grateful Dead

A Grateful Dead Summer 1983 Tour itinerary—signed by the band and affiliates on tour, ca. 1983

1983 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 4,480.00
106 Bob Dylan

A poster from Bob Dylan’s Halloween show at Philharmonic Hall in NYC, ca. 1964

N/A USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 4,480.00
  • Sotheby’s
    Shelf Life: Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper from the Library of Stanley J. Seeger and Christopher Cone
    25 June – July 7
    Sotheby’s, July 7: Ludwig van Beethoven. Autograph sketches for the overture "Die Weihe des Hauses", op.124, [1822], UNPUBLISHED. £150,000 to £200,000.
    Sotheby’s, July 7: Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice, 1813, first edition, 3 volumes, contemporary half calf. £50,000 to £70,000.
    Sotheby’s, July 7: Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass, Brooklyn, 1855, first edition, first issue, original green cloth, the Doheny copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
    Sotheby’s, July 7: Binding—Sangorski & Sutcliffe—Omar Khayyam. Rubaiyat, London, 1872, third edition, in a magnificent jewelled Peacock binding. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Sotheby’s, July 7: George Eliot. Middlemarch, Edinburgh and London, 1871, first edition in the original parts. £20,000 to £30,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    The Private Library:
    Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers
    July 9, 2026
    Forum, July 9: Hassall (Joan) A large collection of over 300 original woodblocks of engravings for various books, v.d., with Hassall's engraver's glass water-globe (Qty) - Est. £10,000-15,000
    Forum, July 9: Eragny Press.- [Bradley (Katherine Harris) & Edith Emma Cooper], "Michael Field." Whym Chow, Flame of Love, one of only 27 copies, inscribed by Bradley, the rarest book from the press, 1914. - Est. £3,000-4,000
    Forum, July 9: [Moore (Thomas Sturge)] [Wood Engravings], 71 wood-engravings printed by David Chambers from the original blocks, the only set on Japanese Hosho paper, from an edition of 5 sets, [1970]. - Est. £3,000-4,000
    Forum Auctions
    The Private Library:
    Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers
    July 9, 2026
    Forum, July 9: La Fontaine (Jean de) Contes et Nouvelles en vers, 2 vol., engraved plates after Eisen, fine early 19th century blue morocco, gilt, by Bradel l'ainé, Amsterdam [Paris], 1762. - Est. £2,000-3,000
    Forum, July 9: Erotica.- Prostitution.- Pretty Women of Paris (The); Their Names and Addresses, Qualities and Faults..., [Paris], privately printed at the Press of the Prefecture de Police, 1883. - Est. £3,000-4,000
    Forum, July 9: Vale Press.- Ricketts (Charles) & Lucien Pissarro. De la Typographie et de l'Harmonie de la Page Imprimée…, [one of 216 copies], bound in dark blue morocco tooled in gilt, by Sarah T.Prideaux, 1898. - Est. £1,000-1,500
    Forum Auctions
    The Private Library:
    Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers
    July 9, 2026
    Forum, July 9: Martin (John) Illustrations of the Bible, complete set of 20 mezzotints, good impressions, rarely found in early states, [c.1831-1835]. - Est. £1,000-1,500
    Forum, July 9: Golden Cockerel Press.- Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ (The), one of 500 copies, Mary Gill's copy, Waltham St. Lawrence, 1931 with a signed proof of engraving on japon numbered 10/10 (2) - Est. £5,000-7,000
    Forum, July 9: Boccaccio (Giovanni) The Decameron, 3 vol., vol.1 extra-illustrated by John Buckland Wright with c.150 erotic original drawings in pen & ink and pencil, 1886 [extra-illustrated c.1940]. - Est. £10,000-15,000
    Forum Auctions
    The Private Library:
    Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers
    July 9, 2026
    Forum, July 9: Cox (Morris) Collection of Gogmagog Press Books, 35 vol., rare complete collection of printed books issued by the press, limited editions, most signed by Cox, 1957-83. - Est. £10,000-15,000
    Forum, July 9: Wynkyn de Worde.- [Terentius Afer (Publius)] [Comedie...], [Paris, Josse Badius: sold in London by Wynkyn de Worde, & others], [15 July 1504]. - Est. £4,000-6,000
    Forum, July 9: Mosley (James) Ornamented Types. Twenty-Three Alphabets from the Foundry of Louis John Pouchée, 2 vol., one of 10 copies for presentation, from an edition of 210, 1992-93. - Est. £1,000-2,000
  • Freeman’s, June 30. Thomas Jefferson’s “Birth of the New Nation” letter, carried to Paris with the Treaty of Peace, by a Jewish patriot. $100,000-200,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. “The rockets’ red glare.” A British midshipman’s log recording the bombardment of Fort McHenry. $60,000-80,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. The Critical Promotion of a Naval Hero, Oliver Hazard Perry Commission signed by James Madison, 1812. $40,000-60,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. Born in the USA: First Day of Printing in the United States, July 4, 1776. $15,000-25,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. One of the Earliest Printed Announcements of American Independence, in the Exceedingly Rare Original Wrappers, 1776. $10,000-15,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. "The Two Big Guns of the N.Y. Yanks": A Striking Type 1 Press Photograph of Lou Gehrig's Hands. $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. A Unique Contemporary Manuscript Account of Joseph Smith's Final Words to His Followers, the Day Before his Violent Death. $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. The State of Minnesota Officially Certifies the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution Of the United States. $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. Extraordinarily Large Manuscript Petition Signed by a Who's Who of Colonial New York to Queen Anne from the Colony of New York. $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. Mickey Mantle's First Cover: The Earliest Front-Page Newspaper Image of Mickey Mantle, "Something Good from Joplin". $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. A Call to Arms in the Months Following the Declaration of Independence: An Early Continental Army Recruitment Poster. $6,000-9,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. Samuel Jones, the Statesman Behind the Newly Discovered "Jones Declaration": His Annotated Set Used in His Working Law Library. $6,000-9,000.