Every fan dreams of owning some form of music memorabilia at some point in their lifetime. This is, however, hard to do, considering how much some of the stuff cost. Spending crazy amounts of money on something previously owned by an artist is a worthy investment.
Most collectible music memorabilia’s value rises as time passes. The resale value of some of the items is unbelievable. Some entertainment memorabilia can be found in private museums, where they are available for view. Conversely, some are privately owned, and only the owner can decide when they want the item exhibited.
Music collectibles are in the form of different things including towels, jackets, manuscripts, pianos, and even cars.
5 Most Expensive Music Memorabilia Ever Sold
The price of an item is determined by how famous an artist or group was. The more the fame, the higher the price mostly cause these items are sold in auctions, and well-known artist or groups will attract more bidders. If you need to design tickets for an auction or any event, use the best free online ticket maker app.
Below are the top collectibles.
- 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V That Belonged to John Lennon
The Beatles is probably the greatest group in rock n roll history; thus, it only fits that the most expensive rock music memorabilia belongs to one of its members. The car was bought by the Royal British Columbia Museum in Canada at around $2,898,724. The car featured in the Magic Mystery Tour film in 1967.
- John Lennon’s Piano
This is the second most valuable rock music memorabilia. This piano was used by John when he was composing the hit song ‘Imagine.’ George Martin paid around $2.1 million for it in an auction in 2000.
- Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ lyrics
The draft to this famous song sold for around $2 million in 2014 at a Sotheby’s auction. This is the most expensive music manuscript in the world. It features four sheets of hotel stationery written in pencil.
- The Red Leather Jacket That Was Worn by Michel Jackson on Thriller
Thriller is among Michael Jackson biggest hit songs. The 1983 hit song’s video featured Michael Jackson wearing a red leather jacket. The jacket was sold for an astonishing $1.8 million at an auction in 2011.
- ‘A Day in The Life’ Handwritten Lyrics by John Lennon
According to Rolling Stone, ‘A day in The Life’ is the greatest song from The Beatles. ‘A day in The Life’ was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. John’s lyrics on the song are inspired by the newspapers.
The handwritten lyrics sold for the whopping price of $1,344,477 at an auction. The song is the last track on the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
Music Memorabilia
The most expensive music memorabilia are from some world renown artists. The value tends to be higher on older items or when an artist retired or passed away. It should not surprise you if some of the items current artist possess get auctioned for crazy amounts in the future.
Check our website for more interesting facts.
Born Riley B. King in Atta Bean, Mississippi, on September 16th, 1925, King began playing gospel music on street corners as a teen. In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis, TN, to pursue his music career and studied the blues with his cousin Bukka White, one of the most celebrated blues performers of his time. He landed his first big break on Sonny Boy Williamson’s local radio show which led to other prolific gigs in Memphis, where he was inspired by other blues greats including Louis Jordan and T-Bone Walker. While developing a following in the Beale Street blues scene in the late 1940s/early 1950s, King began crafting his signature electric blues sound. After changing his name to Beale Street Blues Boy and later abbreviating it to B.B. King, the blues legend with his electric guitar was born. In 1949, the famous legend of his “Lucille” guitar was born when, during one of King’s shows, a fire broke out during a brawl and King went back into the burning building to save the guitar, narrowly escaping his own death. When he discovered that the brawl was over a woman named Lucille, he named his guitar —and each one of his trademark Gibson guitars in the decades to come —after her to remind himself to never fight over a woman or run into a burning building.
In the 1950s, King was considered one of the most important R&B artists with his first Number One Billboard R&B hit, 1952’s “3 O’Clock Blues,” and the string of hits that followed including, “You Know I Love You,” “Woke Up This Morning,” “Please Love Me,” “You Don’t Know Me,” “When My Heart Beats like a Hammer,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “You Upset Me Baby,” “Every Day I Have the Blues,” “Sneakin’ Around,” “Ten Long Years,” “Bad Luck,” “Sweet Little Angel,” “On My Word of Honor,” and “Please Accept My Love” —all of which made him one of the top touring artists —as he clocked in a record-breaking 342 concerts in 1956. In the 1960s, his distinct guitar style of complex, vocal-like string bends and unmistakable vibrato developed a massive following and deep appreciation by the decade’s greatest English rock legends including Eric Clapton, George Harrison and the Rolling Stones. He gained greater visibility of his artistry and sound among rock audiences at grand concert halls and festivals including, the 1968 Newport Folk Festival and Bill Graham’s Fillmore West, where he headlined with the greatest contemporary rock artists of the time, who idolized King. The 60s also brought him greater fame with the release of Live at the Regal in 1964, the hits “Sweet Sixteen, Part I,” “Don’t Answer The Door, Part I,” “Lucille” and his heralded opening act stint on the Rolling Stones’ 1969 American Tour. In 1970, he won a Grammy Award for his most popular crossover hit “The Thrill Is Gone,” which went to No. 15 on the Pop charts.
King’s many honors included inductions into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; the NARAS’ Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1987; honorary doctorates from Tougaloo (MS) College in 1973, Yale University in 1977, Berklee College of Music in 1982, Rhodes College of Memphis in 1990, Mississippi Valley State University in 2002 and Brown University in 2007. In 1990, he received the National Medal of Arts and the National Award of Distinction from the University of Mississippi in 1992. In 2008, the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened in Indianola, Mississippi. He died on May 14, 2015 at the age of 89 and is buried at the museum that bears his name.
The most coveted item of the auction will be King’s stage played black Gibson ES-345 prototype 1 for 80 limited edition Lucille guitar that was gifted by Gibson to B.B. King on his 80th birthday. This “Lucille” was heavily used by King and served as his primary guitar on tour in his later years. The head stock has “B.B. King 80” and a crown inlaid with mother-of-pearl, “Gibson” on a gold plate, and the pickguard reads “[crown] B.B. King” in gold. The pickups read “B.B.” in gold and the back of the headstock reads “Prototype 1.”The guitar is accompanied by a hard leather case with “B.B. King” embroidered in gold and is estimated at $80,000-$100,000. (photo above right: King’s inscribed guitar red leather case)
