Remember the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 23, 1978 when Bob Marley performed the North American leg of his Kaya Tour with the Wailers? Because if you do, you MIGHT also remember what he wore. He wore short-sleeved military-look shirt, a faded green, with yellow patch pockets, and orange yoke trim. This shirt recently sold online by RR Auction in a themed sale offering other music celebrity memorabilia called The Marvels of Modern Music Auction.
That concert, at which he wore the shirt, held on Haile Selassie’s birthday, in honor of which Marley sang a rare live performance of “Sun is Shining.” If any (older) fans of Marley attended, I hope you tell me how this went down!
Provenance of Bob Marley’s Shirt
With a celebrity piece at auction, we understand the importance of provenance, meaning from whence an object COMES. This shirt came as a gift from a friend, who apparently knew Marley’s sister. The present owner and consignor, who received the gift, searched for photo documentation of Marley wearing this shirt. He achieved that this summer, when he discovered press materials from our Santa Barbara Bowl, showing Marley clad in a similar shirt at the 1978 performance. Press materials from RR Auction says Bob Marley’s mother made shirts for Bob. So do other shirts LIKE this one made by Marley’s mother exist? Is this the shirt worn at the Bowl? Did anyone other than his mother create shirts like this one?
Folks who don’t regularly bid at auction may not know authenticity is NOT definitively determined by the auction house. Although they do their best to track down provenance. Usually a statement will appear in the auction house terms and conditions, such as this one, on RR Auction’s site: “Each bidder’s determination of its bid should be based upon its own examination of the item(s) and independent investigation, rather than any reliance as to what is represented in the Catalog, online, or elsewhere.” In this case, we have good photo documentation that a shirt like this one existed on July 23, 1978, and that Bob Marley wore such a shirt.
Why do people spend money for celebrity items?
The closeness to celebrity creates a great feeling in the buyer, and people are willing to spend for that feeling. J K Rowling’s chair, on which she sat when writing the first two Harry Potter books, sold in 2016 for $394,00.00. Way back in 1999, Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday Mr. President” gown sold for $1,267,500.00. The desire to own a “part” of a celebrity can get dicey. Scarlett Johansson’s tissue, used on Jay Leno’s show, bagged and signed, sold for $5,300.00. Justin Timberlake’s French Toast remnant sold for $1,024.00. Lady Gaga’s artificial nail sold for $12,000.00. Britney Spears’ pre-chewed gum sold for $1,400.00, and a lock of Justin Bieber’s hair sold for $40,000.00. The proximity of an object to a star causes buyers to bask in the reflected glow.
Most auctions, because of COVID, went completely online. That makes authentication difficult. Previously, auction houses held previews, and we sometimes saw prospective buyers accompanied by experts with magnifying glasses. Because of restrictions, auction houses have refined the online bidding procedures. RR Auction Company of Amherst, MA, offering Marley’s shirt, does it like this: when bidding closed at 6 pm EST on November 19, if you already bid, there is an hour extension to bid against active other bidders. At 7pm, the auction imposed the 30-minute Rule, which means that if NO new bidding happens, the ‘lot’ (the objects up for sale) closes at 7.30. Maximum nail biting went on during the 30-minute period.
Auctions DO sell objects of extreme value
- A record was made in 1994 for Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex, “hammered” (sold) at $30,802,500.00.
- A Guarneri del Gesu violin sells at auction in the $4 million dollar range. Big money changes hands.
- This Bob Marley shirt worn at the Bowl on July 23, 1978, brought in $33,275.00.
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