Jerry Garcia And Grateful Dead Auction: Items Ranging From $25 To $1.5 Million

This weekend, Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead items will be available at auction at Donley Auction Services in Union, Illinois, and fans who are strapped for cash and those who have too much to know what to do with may be able to walk away with something they can treasure, as the surviving members of the band say goodbye this year via a few shows in Chicago.

The owner of Donley Auction Services, Randy Donley, is astonished at the number of memorabilia items up for auction, according to ABC 7.

“We have an auction…of the Grateful Dead memorabilia and Jerry Garcia memorabilia that’s the largest collection ever assembled of this type of item. (How many pieces?) Over 700.”

This massive auction collection includes: Jerry Garcia’s.25-caliber Colt pistol which was registered to him and used for target practice, handwritten lyrics to songs, a 1956 Chevy Bel Air used by the Grateful Dead, and even an old kitchen table. The auction will offer over 400 posters, many of which are signed by band members or artists. Perhaps one of the most prized possessions being offered for auction is a t-shirt worn by Garcia at his last concert performance on July 9, 1995 at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

According to Jerry Garcia’s old friend, Lisa Purze, the time for the Grateful Dead auction had finally arrived. She explained to ABC 7 where most of the items came from and why now was the time to say goodbye to the items.

“It all comes from Northern California from friends, family, former employees and some of the things from Jerry himself. (And it’s just time?) It’s time. With the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead, some of us put this together a year ago and thought this would be a good time to share this with the world.”

According to dbTechno, the auction is expected to be a very popular one and draw a lot of attention. Although profits will go to those who listed the items, some profits will go to a charity to help teens with autism.

The Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia auction is expected to bring in up to $2 million. Many of the items expected to bring in the most money are the items which belonged to Jerry Garcia.

Those who can’t attend the Grateful Dead auction in person don’t have to be bummed out. They can still check out the auction online and bid for memorabilia at www.proxibid.com.

[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images News]