Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles Rock the Auction on Artfact Live!

(Boston MA) Artfact Live! is pleased to announce a special two-day auction event, “Rock the Auction”, offered by Alexander Autographs on October 21 and October 22, 2009. “Rock the Auction” is available for online bidding exclusively through Artfact Live! and is presented in conjunction with Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. This extraordinary auction offers over 700 lots from Rock and Roll legends such as Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Cash, Don Henley, Prince and many others. Original items offered in the sale include documents, musical instruments, personal clothing, promotional materials, albums and more. Benefiting VH1’s Save the Music Foundation, this is an auction for any rock and roll enthusiast or pop culture collector. Bidding starts as low as $25, while a leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson during “Dirty Diana” rehearsals, expected to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000 opens for bidding at $75,000.

DAY 1:
Day one begins with a significant document in the history of rock and roll. Lot 1 is the signed document archive of legal papers pertaining to "We Are the World." Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, and preformed by numerous well-known musical artists, proceeds from the single went to alleviate hunger in Africa and the United States. The papers include an agreement between Jackson and Ritchie to share the rights to the song and some of the contracts arranged with other artists to participate in the recording. Bidding opens at $10,000. (Further documentation regarding the “We are the World” project can be obtained on day two in lot 417, which contains the papers in which Michael Jackson signed over his rights to the single in 1985, donating all further proceeds to efforts to alleviate hunger in Africa and the United States. Bidding on this item begins at $7,500.)

The top lot of day one is lot 249, a custom-made walking cane belonging to Johnny Cash. As Cash’s health began to decline in the 1990’s he came to require the use of a cane. This is an intricately carved wooden walking cane with an owl perched at the top and a rattlesnake wrapped around the base. First sold in 2004 at Sotheby’s Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash estate sale, the cane is now available starting at $10,000.

Lot 175 is a Beatles First State Sealed Mono "Livingston" Butcher Cover. Records with this cover design are exceptionally rare as they were recalled early after the album’s release to critics; they were considered too graphic and offensive for the public. This particular album has an even more impressive pedigree as it originally belonged to Alan Livingston, the president of Capitol Records in 1966. Included in the lot is a signed Livingston letter and a photocopy of the original Capitol Records recall letter to reviewers. Bidding begins at $10,000.

Lot 176 is an unreleased audio conversation between John Lennon and Yoko Ono. On this tape, made in 1969, John and Yoko talk candidly for forty-five minutes about love and sex. Bidding opens at $10,000.

DAY2:
Perhaps the most interesting and controversial lot of the sale, Lot 416 contains a sheet of Michael Jackson Handwritten Lyrics, 1986. These lyrics, perhaps a rough draft of what became the song “Cheater” released in 2004, paint a picture of a depressed individual and provide what some consider evidence of suicidal tendencies in the troubled pop star. Bidding opens at $20,000.

The top lot of day two is lot 415, a leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson during rehearsals for his "Dirty Diana" video. Made for Jackson by the Western Costume Co., the black leather jacket is adorned with numerous buckles straps and zippers. The lot includes two letters of authentication, from Western Costume Co. and from Jackson’s personal designers. Bidding begins at $75,000.

Lot 523 is a Martin D-35 Guitar used in concert by Elvis Presley. Presley gave the guitar to a fan at the Bay Front Center Arena in St. Petersburg, Florida, on the evening of February 14, 1977 after he broke a string and the guitar’s strap. Since then the instrument’s provenance has been well documented and it is now available beginning at $75,000.

Lot 401 is Jimi Hendrix's 1968 Fender Stratocaster Guitar. Included with the guitar are a number of unpublished photos, a monogrammed face towel from the Navarro Hotel, an affidavit and condition report from Larry Lee, the friend and band mate of Hendrix who received the guitar as a gift at the Navarro Hotel in 1969. Bidding opens at $43,000.

Lot 654 is Don Henley's 1950 Martin D-28 Guitar. Used by Henley in his early years in the music business through the formation of the Eagles and the recording of the album “Hotel California”. One of only 550 Martin D-28's made in 1950, the guitar is offered in its original case with letters of authenticity and certification, bidding begins at $25,000.

Live online bidding for “Rock the Auction” is made possible by Artfact Live!. So, if you can’t make it to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT, visit Artfact.com, or its sister site in the UK, Invaluable.com, to view the “Rock the Auction” catalogs. Login, or register free, to leave absentee bids or bid live online in this exceptional auction.

To research rock and roll memorabilia, and view over 53 million auction price results visit www.Artfact.com and search the industry’s leading past prices database. Artfact contains over 1,500 results for “Michael Jackson” related items previously sold at auction.

About Artfact
Founded in 1989, Artfact is the largest global marketplace of fine and decorative arts, antiques, collectibles, and estate auctions. On January 1, 2009, Artfact launched Artfact Live! and Invaluable Live!, its proprietary live auction bidding platforms, enabling users to bid in real-time on auctions being held around the world by its prestigious auction house partners. Currently, over 1,000 fine auctioneers actively list their catalogues with Artfact.com and its U.K. sister site Invaluable.com, reaching the Artfact community of more than 10 million knowledgeable collectors and dealers worldwide. Artfact's industry leading database includes more than 53 million complete auction results totaling more than $197 billion in value, including information on more than 500,000 international artists. In 2006, Artfact acquired RFC Systems, the leading provider of enterprise software developed specifically for the fine art and antique auction house industry. RFC helps prestigious auction houses around the world manage their businesses by automating their day-to-day operations.


Editor’s Notes
- Additional background information available.
- Interviews with Doug Ellinger, VP Marketing, dellinger@artfact.com, (617) 746-9882
- Complimentary media subscriptions to the Artfact database available.