Auction Name: 2026 April 10 Concert Posters Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 26151

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/7475*26151

Grateful Dead 1966 Trips Festival S.F. Early Handbill Graded Best-Ever 9.8 (AOR-2.42). An original paper advertising flyer for an extremely important event in rock history, the legendary Trips Festival, which took place at San Francisco's Longshoreman's Hall over the weekend of January 21-23, 1966. There were two fliers made for the event, and this is by far the better one... designed by a new, fresh young face on the scene named Wes Wilson, and printed at Contact Printing, the little print shop in which he worked. Best of all, this handbill has been graded a fabulous 9.8 Near Mint/Mint by CGC (the Certified Guaranty Company), one of only two specimens to get that high grade, and none have ever graded higher.

This event predated the first organized Family Dog and Bill Graham dance-concerts by a month. Participants included the newly named Grateful Dead, the newly formed Big Brother and the Holding Company, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, hipsters on the scene like poet Allen Ginsberg, and multi-media presentations galore. The Art of Rock book gave this flyer a full page all to itself, picturing both sides of it. Measures 6 ½" x 9 ½". COA from Heritage Auctions.

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