Marley, poster child for eBay
A rare concert poster of Bob Marley and The Wailers performing with Stevie Wonder at the National Stadium in Kingston on October 4 1975 is among the most-sought after Marley items up for bidding through online auction site, eBay.com.
The piece, which also highlights support acts Third World and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, carries a starting bid of US$15,000.
According to eBay.com, “It’s one of the most rare Bob Marley posters ever, but as the seller is offering it since November 2018, the price of $15,000 seems to be too expensive. For only $5,000 you can obtain another super-rare poster from the same show highlighting the opener Third World.”
The ‘item description’ reads: “This is the concert poster of all time. Holy grail of concert posters. I got it from a friend 25 years ago in Kingston. I have searched far and wide and have not found another for sale.”
The Wailers/Stevie Wonder concert was the last time the most famous members of the group (Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer) performed together. Tosh and Wailer left the band two years earlier for solo careers while Marley led The Wailers band to international stardom.
Third World opened the show. But Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes (whose lead singer was Teddy Pendergrass) failed to show.
Wonder and Marley performed I Shot the Sheriff and Superstition together for the event’s encore.
The poster is reportedly one of 70,000 Bob Marley items currently available on eBay.com Another item attracting attention is a life-sized statue of the singer/songwriter, which has a starting bid of US$15,900.
According to the item description: “It’s all about the detail. Makeup: will reflect the true ion of the skin and blood vessels. We use the industries best silicone material. Teeth: Detailed milling and resin.”
Again, assessors are not impressed: “There are certainly some fans who are interested in owning a life-size Bob Marley silicone figure. However, the price is not reasonable for a fan item. Additionally, the statue’s Bob Marley face definitely needs some improvement.”
Other items include an original gold (for sales of 500,000 units) Recording Industry Association of America plaque for Legend, the compilation album containing 14 of the singer/songwriter’s songs which was released in 1984, three years after Marley’s death.
This piece has a starting bid of US$5,100 and would be, according to assessors, a good deal.
“With 28 million copies sold worldwide, Legend is the best-selling reggae album of all-time, released 35 years ago: May 8, 1984! This award is indeed a rare item, but the realistic value is far below the required amount. Similar awards were sold for about $750-$1000 in the past years.”
Like most deceased pop stars, Marley ware is worth good money. In July 2002, an audio-cassette tape of a 1968 jam session between Marley, his wife, and American singer/songwriter Jimmy Norman, at Norman’s New York apartment, was auctioned by Christie’s for US$26,290.
