This poster is signed by both artists, Stanley Mouse and the late great Alton Kelley! PAE is pleased to offer the collecting community the finest quality CGC graded DOUBLE SIGNED specimen of this historic rarity to ever appear in our auction! This poster has been signed by the legendary Stanley Mouse and the late, great Alton Kelley!

As the value of vintage concert posters has exploded ever higher over the past 50 years, the Grateful Dead FD-26 Skeleton and Roses has consistently held the record for most valuable psychedelic concert poster ever sold at auction. This continues to be the case today. The current price record stands at $118,750 for a FD-26 CGC graded 9.8 specimen that WAS NOT SIGNED, and sold almost 2 years ago on November 16, 2019.

This record smashed the previous record of $50, 600 for a CGC graded 9.4 specimen that WAS NOT SIGNED and auctioned by us in August of 2018.

These auction price records, and the many that came before them, has easily solidified the FD-26s reputation as the most sought after and desirable psychedelic concert poster ever issued for any band, by any artist, at any time.

Why? Because this spellbinding collectible offers the perfect blend of unparalleled artwork and eye appeal, beloved American band, world famous, legendary artists and a tiny original issuance of just 1200-1500 posters.

Just a small fraction (maybe 10%?) of the original issuance have survived in ANY condition 55 years later, and when a specimen over 9.0 surfaces, the advanced collectors start to salivate and price records become imperiled.

All of which brings us to the unique opportunity at hand. The specimen offered here represents the single finest quality DOUBLE SIGNED CGC graded specimen to be auctioned in the history of our firm!

While small, almost imperceptible differences in quality of a collectible command huge differences in value, this specimen offers the collector something that is HUGELY UNIQUE, EASILY SEEN AND UNDERSTOOD, and HIGHLY VALUABLE, the signatures of both artists that created this legendary masterpiece, Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley.

These two signatures, coupled with the breathtaking, color saturation, registration and state of preservation distinguish this specimen as truly in a league of its own.

Proof of this desirability is the emergence of a two tiered market for concert posters, with many advanced collectors focusing exclusively on signed material, which is regarded as a FAR RARER and HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT subset. Of course, this fevered focus of collector demand has resulted in prices that often far exceeds the same issue in the same condition that does not feature the artist signatures. In the rare instances when a poster is designed and signed by both artists, magic can happen.

It will be interesting to see what premium these DOUBLE SIGNATURES bring in todays market, at this moment in time. Regardless of where the gavel falls, it will undoubtedly be for under 10% of the multi millions of dollars that are routinely being paid today for single trading cards and comic books that do not come close to having the age, rarity, historical importance, and eye appeal and ability to display that this lot, and the other posters in this auction offer.

--CRITICAL DETAILS--
--TITLE: Fd-26
--GRADE: 9.2
--PERFORMERS: Grateful Dead
--VENUE: Avalon
--CITY: San Francisco
--DATE: 09/16/66
--PRINTING: OP-1; Original Poster

-- 9.2 -- Signed Kelley AND Mouse --View all of the photos : Click on the thumbnail photo, to see an enlarged photo and scroll through additional photos. Click again for an enlarged photo. High resolution HD photos available on request. For a personalized eyewitness examination call 410-464-6180, 10:00 am to 5:00pm EST. A 20% Buyers Premium will be added to the final hammer price of this lot.

20 x 14.25 in