How to Find 60s Psychedelic Concert Art Posters

FILLMORE ACID TEST-1966; ONE OF FEW IN EXISTENCE

Tired of looking at bare walls? Want to start a collection more interesting than coins or stamps? Vintage poster collecting is a fun and sometimes lucrative hobby. With just a little guidance, hanging out in a dorm room, game room or music room can be a real "trip."

Things You'll Need

• Bare walls and a little tenacity

Instructions

1. Call an older relative. The first step in starting a psychedelic poster collection is to ask relatives where to find old hippie stuff. It can be shocking to discover what treasures lurk in the depths of mom's closet or in the recesses of grandma's attic. Once the baby boomers traded in their bell bottoms for power suits, those Grateful Dead posters were stashed away and forgotten. Relatives will probably be quite happy to see old favorites being enjoyed once again and be grateful for the extra room in the basement.

2. Visit the music store. Independent music stores are a great resource for all things musical and vintage. Look for a used record store with an expert behind the register. How to spot the expert? Look for long gray hair and Birkenstocks. Get advice. If there are no posters for sale at this music store, look further.

3. Go to the flea market. The thing about vintage posters is that people often don't know what the posters are worth. This means that a rare poster can be had for a song. Frequent antique stores and junk shops regularly. Go to the flea market every weekend. On a college campus, find out if it has certain days when vendors set up booths in the commons. College students love buying old posters to decorate dorm rooms, so there is a market there. Especially keep on the lookout for estate sales. These are sales where everything in the house must go. Often, they occur after the home owner's death, when the relatives do not have the time or inclination to deal with disposing individually of every item belonging to the deceased. Be sure to look beyond the walls and into the less obvious places. Look in cabinets, closets, attics, and the garage. Estate sales may seem like morbid places to find your posters, but don't discount them. They are generally frequented by those looking for antique furniture, jewelry, china etc. This means the competition for the vintage Jimi Hendrix poster hiding in the closet will be slim.

4. Go Online. The internet holds a wealth of resources for obtaining both vintage and reproduction concert posters. Auction sites such as ebay, always have listings for original poster art and reproductions. A search of the more generalized auction sites will usually yield better prices than those specifically geared to poster collectors, but these are excellent places to look nonetheless. Also, check out sites where people advertise things to get rid of, usually for free, such as Craig's list or your local freecycle.

Tips & Warnings

• If you hope to develop a psychedelic concert poster collecting into an investment venture, do a little research. But, generally speaking, original posters of The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and anything Motown are highly sought after.

• When buying online, caveat emptor (buyer beware). Do thorough research before paying high dollar for a supposed rare original.

Resources

• Tips for the beginner
• Good resource for learning poster preservation
• Site to buy and sell posters