The king of rock auctions

A music memorabilia sale spanning 60 years will thrill fans, says Colette Sheridan

IRELAND’S first dedicated pop-and-rock memorabilia auction is on Sunday at the RDS. This sale of rare acetate and vinyl records, autographs, photographs and other items, from artists including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Buddy Holly, U2 and Rory Gallagher, is being organised by Whyte’s Auctioneers. The 200 lots span 60 years of rock ’n’ roll.

Head of collectibles at Whyte’s, Conor Dodd, says: “It’s very exciting and is uncharted territory for us. There’s a huge amount of international interest in it, particularly from America and Australia. People can watch the live feed of the auction online.”

The headline lot is the famous Elvis Presley acetate single, ‘That’s All Right Mama’, which was recorded in the Memphis Recording Studio, better known as Sun Studios. “It was given to a DJ called Dewey Phillips in a Memphis radio station. When he played it in 1954, it marked the start of Elvis’s career. There was a huge reaction to the song. It’s one of the foundation stones of rock ’n’ roll.” The price is €50,000 to €70,000. “That seems like a lot of money. But considering what other Elvis memorabilia sells for, and how popular he is, it might prove to be a conservative price,” Dodd says.

The auction also includes bespoke Elvis memorabilia: watches made by a jeweller in Memphis were given to family and friends as an ‘access all areas’ pass. “The watch is in great condition and is very much sought-after by Elvis collectors. There’s also the TBC (Taking Care of Business) necklaces, which, again, he circulated to people close to him. The fact that Elvis handled these items himself obviously adds to the interest that collectors have in them.” The necklace is priced at €5,000 to €7,000; the watch is €8,000 to €10,000.

The sources of auction items vary. Collectors buy, and later sell, items at auctions. “In some cases, the memorabilia was acquired directly by people from the artists themselves. We have an Aer Lingus autographed menu, signed by The Beatles when they came to Dublin in 1963 for their only visit here. One of the crew on the plane approached the band members for their autographs.” When the Rolling Stones played in the Adelphi in Dublin in 1965 “a lady and her sister who were at the concert managed to grab the band for a couple of moments and they got autographs from them,” Dodd says.

Memorabilia from artists who died young is valuable. Buddy Holly, for example. “There’s a demand for memorabilia relating to him. We have a Buddy Holly and The Crickets’ signed promotional card. We also have a small sheet of handwritten song lyrics from Buddy Holly. They’re a bit more personal than an autograph.” “We also have a set of autographs of The Jimi Hendrix Experience costing between €900 and €1,200,” says Dodd.

The auction includes guitars. For example, a Fender Telecaster Squier guitar used by the Eric Clapton band, Cream. “It is signed by the band, which was really the first super group. We also have a Fender Stratocaster Squier, which is signed by the members of the Rolling Stones.”

There’s a signed photograph of Rory Gallagher and negatives of him by photographer, Ulrich Handl, and a signed cover of Thin Lizzy’s album, Jailbreak, and a tour programme signed by the band.

Also, two sheets of handwritten lyrics by Van Morrison for his song, ‘Coney Island.’ “It’s signed, and dated ‘1985’. It’s interesting, because the song is itself about Van’s youth and the memories he had of it.” Also, there are “remarkable” photographs of Sinéad O’Connor taken by the late Trevor Looney.

A contract signed by film star Marilyn Monroe is for sale. “The story behind it is interesting. It’s an agreement appointing various people to act on behalf of her company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. It’s from a stormy period in her life. There was a disagreement between Monroe and her business partner, Milton Greene, stoked a little bit by her husband at the time, Arthur Miller. The contract is part of the dissolution of the business relationship with Greene.”

Some people buy to invest, others collect items for sentimental reasons. If an item is of good quality, it is more likely to hold its value. “Even if there’s a recession in the buyer’s country, the memorabilia is unlikely to be affected by it, because there will always be somebody in the world interested in buying. There will always be a demand for memorabilia from great artistes and bands.” The internet facilitates international sales.

Dodd says it isn’t about “chasing bands down to get autographs with a view to selling them in 40 years’ time. The autographs are acquired by people who were just lucky on the day. If you’re holding on to signed concert tickets, they’re not going to be worth a lot of money today or tomorrow... But in years to come, when paper items have been lost or torn, your item could become collectible.”

*For catalogue details, visit www.whytes.ie.