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Posted in June 2011

Hard Rock Cafe valuation

In Spring 2011 we began one of the most exciting assignments of our careers. We were approached by the Hard Rock Cafe head office in Orlando with a view to looking at some of the highlights of their collection for valuation. The Hard Rock has the largest and finest collection of Rock and Roll memorabilia in the world. It is literally an A-Z of the history of Rock from AC/DC – ZZ Top and is displayed in their cafes across the globe. The collection began in 1980 in London with the now famous donation of a guitar by Eric Clapton. This  guitar is still displayed in London, behind the bar of the original Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly.

Of the 72,000 plus artefacts in the collection, we were asked to look at over 1500 highlights including guitars and other instruments, clothing, lyrics and artwork.  Pictured here are just a few of the amazing pieces we looked at.  There are many more worthy of special mention, and here are a few of our favourites:

• Ringo Starr’s Premier drum kit, used with Rory Storm And The Hurricanes and The Beatles, 1960-1963.
• John Lennon’s blue tinted wire-rimmed glasses worn at the Madison Square Garden benefit concert on 30 August, 1972 pictured on the cover of Live in NewYork City, 1986.
• Tony Iommi’s Gibson SG Special ‘Monkey’ guitar, 1964/5, used extensively live and in the studio between  1966-1977.
• David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust stage suit custom made by Freddi Burretti, worn for Bowie’s last appearance as Ziggy Stardust at the Marquee Club, London, November 1973.
• Jim Morrisson’s brown leather trousers worn at the Hollywood Bowl, 5 & 6 July, 1968, and featured on the cover of the album Absolutely Live, 1970
• Bob Dylan’s `Jesus’ jacket.
• Michael Jacksons red leather jacket worn in the Beat It video, 1983.
• Janis Joplin’s emerald green velvet stage suit worn on tour with Kozmic Blues Band, 1969/70.
• BB King – the original ‘Lucille’ guitar used between 1962-1967.
• John Bonham’s Ludwig silver sparkle drum kit.
• Madonna’s wedding outfit worn on the cover of the album Like A Virgin, 1984.
• Kurt Kobain’s trademark white framed sunglasses.
• Kurt Kobain’s 1967 Fender Jazzmaster used at the Cow Palace, San Francisco, April 1993.
• Syd Barrett’s Harmony Sovereign guitar, 1964, used to record Pink Floyd’s first album, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, 1967.
• Elvis Presley’s blue denim prison jacket from Jailhouse Rock, 1957.
• The Rolling Stones / Brian Jones’s white Vox Mark III `Teardrop’ 6-string electric guitar.
• Bruce Springsteen’s black leather biker jacket worn during the Born To Run tour and seen on the ablum cover.
• Bono’s ‘Fly’ glasses worn during the Zooropa tour, 1993.
• Pete Townshend’s cherry red Gibson SG Special guitar, circa 1969, used at the infamous Woodstock Festival, New York, May, 1969.
• Amy Winehouse’s strapless hot pink mini-dress by Wheels & Dollbaby, signed by Amy and  donated by her to Nelson Mandela’s  90th Birthday Charity event, 27 June, 2008.

For further information visit memorabilia.hardrock.com.

See also Treasures Of The Hard Rock Cafe – The Official Guide to the Hard Rock Cafe Memorabilia Collection, Paul Grushkin & John Salvin with Steve Routhier, 2005; and Hard Rock Treasures, DVD, 2005, with the legendary Don Bernstine explaining how he acquired memorabilia for the collection.