Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Aug. 23: The Beatles in Person, Shea Stadium

No, this is not the famous but extremely rare Beatles poster of which no more than a handful exist.  Rather, it is a more common facsimile edition from the 1970's.  It is signed by promoter Sid Bernstein, but I doubt whether this enhances its value. The Beatles's legendary first and most famous concert at Shea Stadium was on August 15, 1965.  Forty-five years ago today, the Beatles performed their second concert at Shea which the original of this poster promoted, part of their North American Tour.  This was one of their last concerts anywhere.  Where were you on August 23, 1966?  And if you're too young to answer that question, there's really no need to let me know.

Sid Bernstein Presents the Beatles in Person
Shea Stadium Tuesday Aug. 23 (1966) 
1970's Facsimile

247. A Vintage Beatles Poster, ca. 1970's 
"Sid Bernstein Presents the Beatles". A poster, ca. 1970's, publicizing a performance at Shea Stadium on Tuesday, August 23, (1966) autographed near the top by Sid Bernstein, approx. 28" x 20-1/4", not framed. There are four known copies of the original edition; this is from a second edition published by Sid Bernstein. Printed in yellow and black inks on glossy paper by Murray Poster Printing Co., New York, including a photo screen printed image of the Fab Four. On 15 August 1965, The Beatles performed the first major stadium concert in the history of rock 'n' roll at Shea Stadium in New York to a crowd of 55,600. The 1966 North American Tour ran from August 12-29 including Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston, Memphis, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco (the last ever public performance). 
Sid Bernstein imported the British Invasion to the shores of New York City and helped build the dreams of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, the Moody Blues, the Kinks, James Brown, Ray Charles, John Denver, Joan Baez, Miles Davis, the Rascals, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley, Barbara Streisand, ABBA, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and the list goes on and on...www.sidbernstein.com 
800/1,200   Sold $575.00
Aspire Auctions
November 2008 Fine Art & Antiques Auction
http://www.aspireauctions.com/auction95/details/24658.html 





Notes:  My post on The Beatles Illuminated:  1964 Concert Photos by Mike Mitchell can be found here.

My previous post on poster art is here.


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9 comments:

  1. I was given this poster by a lady who was decorating her coffee shop in Irvine Ayrshire. Straight to the point I was just wondering if it was worth anything. Thank You,
    Stephen Tate Phone(07818 140699) 30 Tiree Court
    Dreghorn
    Irvine
    Ayrshire
    KA11 4JB

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    1. Hi, Stephen. The price estimate from this 2008 sale refers specifically to the 1970's facsimile poster. A later print might be worth considerably less. One of the four surviving original posters, or an unknown fifth, would be worth a whole lot more.

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  2. Hi, I have a poster identical to this one I acquired from a lady who bought it from a collector in NY who was selling some of his collection. I've had it as I received it wrapped in plastic ever since. I was wondering if the value of the poster I have would be the same as the one shown here that sold for $575 in 2008, or if the value would have gone up or not since then?

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    1. I couldn't say, LauraA. The first thing you need to do is verify which edition your poster is from. A dealer or auctioneer might be able to help you.

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    2. Thanks for the reply! However, I'm not sure what you mean by which edition the poster is from - it is identical to the one in the image here in every way, including the signature. It's my understanding Sid Bernstein had a number of these posters made in the early 70s, so it sounds like he made more than one series (or edition) of them? Since the printing, size, color, and every detail is identical (to the one in the image here), if they could be from different 'editions' it seems it would be pretty impossible to differentiate between them. Do you have any more information about how many editions there were of these 70s posters?

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    3. Actually, re-reading what's written in the original post here, it seems my poster would be a second edition as well since it is the same as the one pictured. There is no indication anywhere on the poster of edition number or anything similar, so my assumption would be it is a second edition as is pictured. In the case it IS a second edition as the one pictured, would you have an idea of the value having gone up or down from the auctioned amount for the pictured poster? If not, I will definitely contact Aspire Auctions - I have already viewed the auction details there of this poster; that is how I know it is identical. I was hoping you would have an idea. Thanks again!

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  3. It certainly sounds as if this is the version you have, Sid Bernstein signature and all. As the piece is not so commonly offered for sale and the one price I have was determined in the heat of an auction, I would not conjecture on the sale price it might fetch today. You might want to make inquiries of an auction house or a dealer familiar with posters or rock and roll memorabilia.

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    1. Thanks so much for the reply! I was beginning to think that is the best option, as you say, to discuss with an auction house or two. Since in all my looking around, I have not seen this particular piece more than here/Aspire Auctions and one other place (where it was also auctioned several years ago by a different auction house) it does seem to be a more uncommon piece. Thank you again!

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