Autographed "The Art of Rock" Book
Watch
GUEST:
In 1987, when it was published, a friend of mine showed this to me, and I fell in love with the artwork. It was, I think, $90 at the time, in 1987, and I couldn't afford it, so I found this at a flea market.
APRPAISER: What did you pay for it?
GUEST:
$50.
APPRAISER:
Paul Grushkin is the author of the book.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And it's a pretty common book. But you kind of did something pretty extraordinary with your copy, in that you took it with you to so many concerts, and have 242 signatures in here.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
I went through the list that you gave me, and the list is long. Everyone from Willie Nelson to Joan Baez. We have a giant Steve Miller down here. I was particularly interested with your Ginger Baker, because he's such a prickly character that he gets a bad reputation. How was he when you met him?
GUEST:
He was very nice. We met him at a... At a show in Oakland. Uh, a jazz club called Yoshi's, and, uh, we got to go backstage for just a few minutes and meet him.
APPRAISER:
In addition to that, you have Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse, Chet Helms-- some of the guys who were really instrumental in creating the artwork of the '60s and the posters that we all know and love from those shows at the Fillmore East, and all over the country. And Stanley Mouse even added this drawing.
GUEST:
His alter ego. These artists all charge for their signature now, and he gladly does something like this.
APPRAISER:
The book itself, it was kind of the seminal work that documented all of the posters of this era. A copy of this book, a first edition, in great condition, is worth $100 to $150. Yours is not in great condition. Something like this-- how did this damage occur?
GUEST:
We met Bo Diddley at a local county fair and, uh, took some things back to have him sign, and he had a bunch of rings on his finger, and the ring cut the book.
APPRAISER:
So it's celebrity damage.
GUEST:
(chuckling): Yes.
APPRAISER:
Because of the fact that you have these 242 signatures, plus all of these drawings, and all the stories, because you met some really fantastic people, at auction, I would put an estimate around $2,000 to $3,000 on the book.
GUEST:
Okay. It was a labor of love. We took this to every concert we've been to for the last 25 years.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
