Lot #241Landmark CGC-Certified 9.9 Original FD-26 Poster

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Lot closed - Winning bid:$118,675

Description

Artist Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley
Size 14" x 20"
Condition CGC-Graded: Mint 9.9
Signature
High_Res

Description: Sure to attract worldwide attention, we are proud to offer the finest example of this rare poster ever offered for sale. When we first saw this amazing poster, we were speechless. It is simply flawless - as bright, fresh and superb as the day it was printed. While it should go without saying, it is the highest grade given to an original FD-26 poster by CGC.

Long regarded as the "trademark"of the Grateful Dead, this is the poster that truly defined the band's image and the artwork on subsequent posters. Due to the popularity of this poster from "Day One,"originals are pretty tough to find in high grade. Generally, people who had this poster would tack it to the wall, move sometime later, take it down, and hang it up again in their new place. It is very common for these to have extensive corner damage from tape and tacks, as well as aging and fading from exposure to sunlight.

The price of original FD-26 posters has climbed steadily through the last seven years. It is now common for Very Fine examples with tack holes and aging to bring $15,000-20,000+. A CGC-certified 9.4 example broke the $50,000 barrier and a CGC-certified 9.8 example brought $118,750 at auction in November 2019. The reasons for this are many. First, it is the most iconic psychedelic concert poster in the world. Second, these are scarce in any condition. As early Family Dog posters go, these are one of the most difficult to find in Near Mint condition, let alone this state of preservation. Third, the print run for the original posters was quite small, especially when compared to the population of Grateful Dead fans.

If you look at the price levels of virtually every other collectable, an FD-26 at $118,750 or even $250,000+ seems ridiculously cheap. A 1962 Ferrari GTO at $48.4 million, a 1933 $20 gold piece at $7.59 million, a #1 Action comic book at $3.2 million, a Honus Wagner baseball card at $3.12 million, and a stamp from British Guiana for $9.5 million are but a few examples of the heights the collectables markets can reach. For those who will loudly exclaim that these posters are not commodities or collectables, but rather are art, let's not forget that Da Vinci painting at $450 million. It would be easy to write pages of information about this poster, most of which is well-known to the collecting world. Suffice it to say that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the advanced collector or connoisseur of the finest in collectibles.

Categories: Grateful Dead, CGC Graded Posters, Family Dog Posters

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Bidding: All bids must be placed online. We do accept telephone bids. In the event that a lot receives a bid within five minutes of its scheduled closing time, the closing time on only that lot will be extended by five minutes. This process will repeat until the extended lot closes. This assures that no lot can be "sniped," as they can be on eBay, and negates any advantage a last-second bidder may have. Since there is no advantage to waiting, we recommend placing your maximum bids early. We reserve the right to cancel any bids for any reason, and consignors are not allowed to bid on any items that they have placed in the auction. In the event a consignor bids on their own lots, they will be liable for all applicable buyers and sellers fees. If you have been outbid, you will be sent an email notice. Please note that toward the end of the auction, you may receive this email after the lot closes. Under no circumstances will a bid be accepted once a lot closes. By registering and bidding in this auction you are entering into a legal contract and agree to all of the terms and conditions contained herein.

Bid Increments: Unlike other auction sites, we do not use a percentage for our bid increments. Instead, we use a standard bid increment as follows:

From	To	Increment(s)
0	100	5
100	250	10
250	1000	25
1000	2000	50
2000	5000	100
5000	10000	500
10000	25000	1000
25000	50000	2500
50000	And Up	5000

If you use our "maximum bid" feature, your bid will be automatically increased over the next high bidder as needed by one increment at a time. For example, if you place a maximum bid of $755 and the next high bidder is $620, your bid will be increased to $645. If no further bidding occurs on the lot, you will have the winning bid at $645. This feature allows you to place a maximum bid and buy the item for less than that bid.

Reserves: Some lots will have a hidden reserve price. In this case, there will be a notation on the lot page that the reserve has not been met. Once the reserve has been met, the notation will no longer appear and the lot will be awarded to the highest bidder. For lots that do not have this notation, the lot will sell to the highest bidder.

Buyers’ Premium: A 15 percent buyers’ premium will be added to the final winning bid for each auction lot.

Estimates: We offer estimated prices on each lot. These estimates are a only a guide and an opinion of each items retail value. While we strive to give an accurate valuation based on sales information gathered by us, we realize that there may be substantial differences of opinion, both higher and lower, for any lot in the sale.

Sales Tax: Sales tax in the amount of 4.5 percent of the winning bid will be added to the total purchase price of each lot delivered in the state of Colorado.

Authenticity: We unconditionally guarantee that every item purchased from us is a genuine article as described in the auction listing. We will happily supply a Certificate of Authenticity upon request. In the case of all items listed in the The Collectors Guide to Psychedelic Rock Concert Posters, Postcards and Handbills 1965-1973 by Eric King, we warranty that they are as listed in the then current edition of that guide, and we are not responsible if corrections are made to the guide that change the designation. In the event that the authenticity of any item is in dispute, the written opinion of an impartial recognized authority will be used and both parties will be bound by that opinion. In any case, the buyers’ sole remedy will be the cancellation of the sale and a refund of the purchase price.

Condition: We make an effort to accurately describe every item. We assign a grade coupled with a detailed description of any defects, along with the highest quality scans in the business. If you would like to discuss the condition with us in person, give us a call toll free at 1-866-380-3212.

CGC Certified Posters, Postcards and Handbills: Many of the items on our website have been graded by CGC, a subsidiary of the Certified Collectables Group, the largest authentication and grading company for collectables in the world. CGC uses a numerical grade from 1-10 as well as an adjectival description of the quality.

10.0	Gem Mint
9.9	Mint
9.8	Near Mint/Mint
9.6	Near Mint +
9.4	Near Mint
9.2	Near Mint -
9.0	Very Fine/Near Mint
8.5	Very Fine +
8.0	Very Fine
7.5	Very Fine -
7.0	Fine/Very Fine
6.5	Fine +
6.0	Fine
5.5	Fine -
5.0	Very Good/Fine
4.5	Very Good+
4.0	Very Good
3.5	Very Good -
3.0	Good/Very Good
2.5	Good +
2.0	Good
1.8	Good -
1.5	Fair/Good
1.0	Fair
.5	Poor

In addition, CGC uses several different colors of labels to denote different things:

Blue – Universal

This label is applied to posters and handbills that are simply the grade as marked, with no qualifiers or special considerations.

Yellow – Signature Series

This label is applied to posters or handbills that have been signed by someone of significance to the piece, under the direct observation of a CGC representative, and are thus certified as an authentic signature by CGC.

Purple – Restored

This label is applied to any item that has evidence of repair so that it will appear as it did when it was in its original condition. Restoration can come in a variety of degrees, from slight professional restoration (SP) to extensive amateur restoration (EA). The degree of restoration is noted using a code that can be found here: CGC Restoration Scale

Blue/Purple – Conserved

This label is applied to any item with specific repairs done to improve the structural integrity and long-term preservation. These repairs include tear seals, support, piece reattachment and certain kinds of cleaning.

Notification and Payment: All winning bidders will be sent an invoice via email once all lots are closed. We accept payment for auction purchases in U.S. Dollars only and payment can be made by American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, PayPal, wire transfer, cashier's check, and money order. Many of our customers prefer to have their credit card information on file with us and have us automatically settle their invoice and ship the lots. If you would like to take advantage of this option, please give us a call and we will be happy to oblige. We do not accept personal or business checks without prior arrangements and no shipments will be made until they clear. Payment is due within 7 days following the close of the auction. If you fail to pay for your lots within the alloted time, we reserve the right to void your bids and return the lots to the consignor. Please note that placing a bid in our auction is a legally binding contract. Any winning bidder who fails to pay for lots won will be barred from participating in any future sales.

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Return Policy: Please note that an auction is not an approval sale and that refunds will not include postage. We offer a 7-day return privilege for items that are improperly described or damaged in shipping. Under no circumstances will we accept returns for items which were not paid for within the 7-day time period allotted in the terms and conditions, nor will we accept returns which are attempted more than 7 days after receipt by the buyer, except for reasons of authenticity.

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Questions: Call us toll free at 1-866-380-3212 or email us at info@classicposters.com with any specific questions or comments.

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Consigning with Classic Posters: We welcome consignments of quality material and offer competitive commission rates as well as the best descriptions, highest quality photographs and largest customer base in the business. Your lots are fully insured by Lloyds of London while in our care and we run our auctions on a secure, dedicated server.