Christies Auction house held thier first ever auction devoted punk rock music memorabilia Nov. 24th. The auction included photos by Mick Rock, flyers, T-shirts, stickers and pomotional posters. Performers represented included punk’s rock top tier: Sex Pistols, the Clash, and The Ramones as well as lesser knowns favorites such as the Germs, Wierdos and Screamers. Billed as a Punk/Rock auction there was a fair amount of standard classic rock material and 90’s material which I may report on seprately.
I was immediately struck by the prices the promotional posters were fetching. $2000 for an early flyer of the Sex Pistols and the Clash I can see, but over $6,000 on a 1977 Sex Pistols promo poster was a rather impressive feat. $1000 on the over-sized Clash Sandinista promo was impressive as well.
This original 1977 "God Save The Queen" promo poster by Jamie Reid sold for $6250.
This oversized Clash Sandinista Album Promotional Poster sold for $1063 at Christies, a decidedly high price for a promotional poster.
Probably the most significant and rarest item in the Christies auction, this concert flyer featuring the Sex Pistols and the Clash sold for $1875.
While the highest realized prices in the auction went to the Brit’s there was at least some representation of US Punk scene with one lot of 28 Raymond Pettibon flyers, including a few 11×17 inch posters. The lot of 12 items went for $2500, once again demonstrating the prowess of the larger auction houses in pulling in higher dollar buyers for items which are fairly easily obtainable for much less. Street collector to collector prices for these are usually in the $50 range, while these averaged oout to over $200 a pop.
A lot of 12 Raymond Pettibon Black Flag flyers reached record prices through exposure at Christies.
There was also one lot of LA punk flyers, a nice batch of significant groups, 28 flyers in all, including the Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, Screamers and Fear which went for $438. At about 15 each, these were closer to or a bit below current values. A couple surprises were a Weirdos/Germs Mabuhay Gardens flyer for $688. Some other early punk flyers by Ramones and Television reached similar prices.
This 1977 Weirdos Germs Flyer reached an unbelievable $688.
When I see these kind of prices, I’m not so much thinking about them in terms of dollar value but more in a sense historical and societal value. The punk aesthetic has now been passed down to a number of generations and is holding strong as a social movement with a unique set of ideas and a strong graphic style which was pioneered in the design of many of these items. The prices I believe reflect the ongoing importance of the punk movement. I’d also note these prices likely reflect that fact that the buyers are comfortable with the reputation of Christies as to the authenticity of the items.
I’ve personally been collecting and documenting this material for many years. Great to see the suits at Christie’s coming around.
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