On Sunday, April 26, 2015, Clars Auction Gallery of Oakland, (CA) brought to auction an exceptional collection of 70 early Bill Graham and Family Dog lithographic posters. With the exception of a few, all were extremely rare vintage first printings and in near mint condition. Among this collection was Mouse and Kelley’s “Skeleton and Roses,” created for the Grateful Dead’s 1966 concert at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.

This poster attracted the attention of numerous collectors including author Eric King, famous for his detailed catalogue of Bill Graham and Family Dog Psychedelic posters from this era. King, a local San Francisco Bay Area resident, attended the Friday auction preview personally authenticating the poster and stating it was the best he had ever seen.

Once offered, competitive bidding quickly drove the poster from its pre-sale estimate of $2,000 to $4,000 to a new world auction record price of $19,000. (The previous record was $4,481 achieved by Heritage Auctions in August 2010).

For more information, please visit www.clars.com  or email: info@clars.com

Clars Auction Gallery is based in Oakland, CA and is the largest full service auction gallery in the Western United States. Clars Auction Gallery has also been the chosen auction gallery of a number of institutions and distinguished private collectors across the country.  Bidding for Clars’ auctions is available in person, by phone, absentee and live online at www.clars.com, and through www.liveauctioneers.com, and www.Invaluable.com.  Clars Auction Gallery is located at 5644 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609.