The original tracing for the artwork to Led Zeppelin’s debut album has been sold for a cool £260,500.
The iconic artwork was put designed by revered artist George Hardie, and was paid just £60 in 1969 to produce a version of Sam Shere’s image of the Hindenburg Airship on fire in 1937. Hardie marked tracing paper with small black dots to create an image similar to a low-resolution newsprint photo.
The single sheet of tracing paper was stored away in a drawer by Hardie, but seemingly forgot about it for decades. Over 50 years later it has become one of the most famous pieces of artwork in rock ‘n’ roll history, and has now been auctioned for six figures at a Christies sale.
“It was unsullied, in a clean folder on which one of my partners had written years ago, ”G’s pension fund’,” said Hardie in a statement. “I think the drawing made a good and memorable cover, but this was more to do with the photograph and Jimmy Page’s choice of it than with my skill as a dotter.”
Hardie would also go on to draw the artwork for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon in 1970, which was then designed by Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis.
Need gift ideas? Roy and Luke are here to help! WhatsApp us or use eil.com website live Chat, call 01474 815 010 or email sales@eil.com and if you have any items to sell, please call us on 01474 815099
eil.com – the world’s best online store for rare, collectable and out of print Vinyl Records, CDs & Music memorabilia since 1987
- Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin - 180gm - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £14.99, $19.79, €17.84 (New Item) (arrived 04-Sep-2024 16:14)
LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin (2014 UK issue of the classic 1968 debut 9-track LP pressed on 180gram Vinyl, newly remastered by guitarist & producer Jimmy Page, housed in a replica 'blimp' picture sleeve with orange text with Zeppelin logohologram on the reverse. The sleeve shows a little shelfwear whilst the vinyl shows only light signs of play) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- Led Zeppelin - In Through The Out Door - Sleeve E - Japanese - vinyl LP - £150.00, $198.00, €178.50 (New Item) (arrived 28-Aug-2024 15:26)
LED ZEPPELIN In Through The Out Door (1979 Japanese 7-track LP, featuring In The Evening and the beautiful Jones & Plant collaboratively penned All My Love, housed in the picture sleeve 'E', complete with inner sleeve, lyric insert, brown outer bag & obi-strip. The packaging displays minimal wear or signs of age, with some light foxing to the inner, whilst the vinyl remains in a 'near mint' condition P-10726N)
- Led Zeppelin - Trampled Underfoot - Y500 sleeve - Japanese - 7" vinyl - £55.00, $72.60, €65.45 (New Item) (arrived 22-Aug-2024 16:47)
LED ZEPPELIN Trampled Underfoot (1975 Japanese Swan Song label 7" vinyl single also including Black Country Woman, complete with the '¥500' red bordered picture insert featuring a great live on-stage image. The insert displays very little wearand the vinyl shows only light signs of play, a really nice example P-1361N)
- Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - 5th - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £18.00, $23.76, €21.42 (New Item) (arrived 22-Aug-2024 17:00)
LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin II (70s UK issue of the 1969 9-track stereo vinyl LP on a green & orange Atlantic label, with 'Made in UK' centre left & 'The Lemon Song' credit on both sleeve & label, dark brown gatefold picture sleeve. The sleeve is Very Good with some light edge/shelfwear, with a few minor adhesive marks on the inside. Whilst the vinyl is clean & grades VG+/EX- with just the odd faint paper hairline not affecting play - an ideal play copy! K40037) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III - 1st - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £195.00, $257.40, €232.05 (New Item) (arrived 22-Aug-2024 17:00)
LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin III (Rare 1970 UK first press 10-track stereo vinyl LP, with the sought after Peter Grant label credit below the album title & 'Do What Thou Wilt'/ 'So Mote It Be' hand-scratched into the run-outs. Comes housed in theoriginal die-cut laminated gatefold picture sleeve with top & bottom opening rotating wheel [later issues discarded this]. The sleeve is graded VG [with some 'crinkling' to the laminate, mainly to the back] & the rotating wheel is in full working order; there is also some discolouring to the edges and a very small area of paper loss to the interior pocket. The vinyl has been professionally cleaned & grades VG/VG+ with several light paper scuffs & hairlines either side which have little affect on play)
- Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven - Russian - vinyl LP - £25.00, $33.00, €29.75 (New Item) (arrived 26-Aug-2024 09:02)
LED ZEPPELIN Stairway To Heaven (1988 Russian 7-track vinyl LP compilation, unique picture sleeve with Russian Cyrillic text including extensive notes printed on the reverse. The sleeve has just a little wear and the vinyl remains excellent with only a few light signs of play)
- Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin - 3rd - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £95.00, $125.40, €113.05 (New Item) (arrived 26-Aug-2024 15:47)
LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin (1969 UK third press 9-track stereo LP on the plum & red Atlantic label with 'Warner Brothers' publishing credit on the labels, orange lettered fully laminated picture sleeve with 'Uptight An' Outasight' Official Atlantic Appreciation Society address on the back. The sleeve shows some light edge scuffing and a little laminate lift/creasing. The labels show a little spindle wear and the vinyl has some noticable signs of axial wear/cosmetic scuff marks. Overalla Very Good example of this landmark rock debut) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- Led Zeppelin - Presence - 2nd - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £25.00, $33.00, €29.75 (New Item) (arrived 28-Aug-2024 09:27)
LED ZEPPELIN Presence (1979 UK second issue of the 1976 7-track LP on the Swan Song label with 'Made in the UK' clearly printed above the record speed [same as the first] with stamp A2 matrix along with ‘ATLANTIC STUDIOS’ hand-etched in the deadwax on the A side, matt finish gatefold sleeve with the embossed title on front cover in the top right corner & embossed Swan Song logo on rear cover in the bottom left corner, with the credit printed inner with no printer’s credit, clearlystating 'Printed And Made In England'. The sleeve displays light wear with a sticker mark & the vinyl is Excellent with minimal play SSK59402)
- Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III - 3rd - German Sleeve - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £125.00, $165.00, €148.75 (New Item) (arrived 28-Aug-2024 10:18)
LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin III (Rare 1970 UK 10-track stereo LP on the plum & red Atlantic label without Peter Grant credit, German printed fully laminated gatefold picture sleeve with rotating picture wheel in fully working order. The sleeve is graded as VG+ with light corner rubbing and just faint signs of general wear. The vinyl grades VG+ with just a few hailrines to both play surfaces with no real impact on play. A wonderful play copy!)
- Led Zeppelin - In Through The Out Door - Sleeve E - Japanese - vinyl LP - £150.00, $198.00, €178.50 (New Item) (arrived 28-Aug-2024 17:23)
LED ZEPPELIN In Through The Out Door (1979 Japanese 7-track LP, featuring In The Evening and the beautiful Jones & Plant collaboratively penned All My Love, housed in the picture sleeve 'E', complete with inner sleeve, lyric insert, brown outer bag & obi-strip. The packaging displays minimal wear or signs of age, with some light foxing to the inner, whilst the vinyl remains in a 'near mint' condition P-10726N)
Be the first to comment