Rain. Mud. Inadequate sanitary facilities. Those were the conditions at the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair, widely regarded as an event that "rocked the world."
Originally conceived as a commercial venture, the festival quickly morphed into a free love-drug-and music fest when vastly more than the anticipated 200,000 attendees showed up in Bethel, New York to churn Max Yasgur's farm into a 600-acre mud pit.
Sandwiched between Richie Havens' opening set on Friday, August 15th, and Jimi Hendrix's finish on the morning of the 18th, an estimated 500,000 fans rocked to the sounds of 32 now-legendary acts, including Santana, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, and the Grateful Dead. Media immediately proclaimed the event the apotheosis of the 60's cultural revolution, and an Academy Award-winning documentary released the following year (1970) solidified Woodstock's reputation in the annals of rock-and-roll.
Forty years have passed since Woodstock first made history, and it might be interesting, in light of the anniversary, to take a look at some of the memorabilia and collectibles associated with the event.
Ephemera like tickets, posters, and programs are very rare, especially in mint condition. Reproduction ticket sets are selling for about $10, but an authentic, graded, mint 3-day ticket recently fetched $460 at auction. Likewise for the program, which can sell for $100-$200 or more, and the poster, a first printing of which can command up to $2000. In fact, there is great demand for vintage psychedelic album covers and concert posters in general.
Also attracting some attention are copies of Life Magazine's August 29, 1969 issue containing a spread on Woodstock, but with Norman Mailer on the cover ($20+), and Life's "Special Edition" (September 6, 1969) issue devoted exclusively to Woodstock ($100+).
Of course, fashionable items of the time, like bell-bottom pants and tie-dyed shirts, are part of the larger vintage clothing market and sell for various sums depending upon condition, design, label, etc. Do you have a 1970 poncho covered with a print of the Woodstock crowd? It has sold for over $350. How about some Stars-and-Stripes bell-bottom men's pants? $90. Some pieces, however, are unusually rare, like the official 1969 Woodstock red nylon security jacket that recently garnered a final online bid of $1,900.
Do you have the original 5-LP set of recorded music from Woodstock? If so, you, too, might be able to sell it for the $324.99 it commanded online just last week.
Chances are that you were not one of the half-million standing in the mud and muck at Woodstock, but if you've read this far, you might be interested in learning more about that era's memorabilia. If so, check out the recommended resources listed below,
and Happy Collecting!
Books
"Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock," by Pete Fornatale (link)
"High Art: A History of the Psychedelic Poster," by Ted Owen (link)
"Psychedelic Chic: Artistic Fashions of the Late 1960s & Early 1970s," by Roseann Ettinger (link)
"Sixties Style," by Judith Miller (link)
Websites
The Art of Rock Poster Collecting by Jacob Grossi (link) - Some timely tips by a collector.
The Fifties Web (link) - Overview sections on Sixties, Hippie, Mod fashions.
The Museum at Bethel Woods (link) - Check out the section on "Performers and Set Lists"
PosterGeist (link) - Nice Grading and Links pages.
RockPosterCollector (link) - Offers artists list, storage tips, terminology, more.
Woodstock Story (link) - Check out the Articles and Links pages.
