Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 79

Musicians & Dancers

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 263		Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) Legendary Russian ballerina; Diaghilev brought her to Paris in 1909 and in 1910 she created her own company and toured the world. Picture postcard signed in black ink diagonally across her costume. Some age wear and glue remnants on verso. Estimated Value $250 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $348
Lot 264		Caruso, Enrico (1873-1921) Italian operatic tenor. Autograph letter signed "your Caruso" on his personal stationery, 4pp, in Italian, 7¾ x 6", Florence, June 17 (19)16. To Italian opera composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo, who achieved international fame when his first opera, "Pagliacci" was shown in Milan. Its most famous aria "Vesti la giubba"was recorded by Caruso and laid claim to being the world's first record to sell a million copies. Caruso writes, in part, "…I didn't reply to your letter of the 11th since I was waiting for Giulio Gatti-Casazza to visit me to take with him the decisions regarding your inquiry, of which I am very honored….Since you say you want to do only one performance in October or later, I need to know from the direction of the Met when I should leave for New York….As soon as I know more, I will inform you. I would like to warn you that I can't make it before October since I need some rest. Thank you very much for thinking of me…." Fine condition and excellent content. Estimated Value $800 - 1,000. The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,170
Lot 265		Davis, Miles (1926-1991) Immortal American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer; widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Small hand-drawn self-caricature, playing the trumpet, signed by Davis in red ink, 5 x 4". Two small punch holes top margin do not affect the image or signature. Fine condition. Estimated Value $500 - 750. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $953
Lot 266		Gershwin, George (1898-1937) American composer and pianist. Photograph signed and inscribed, 6½ by 9½" on 11 x 11¼" mount, n.p., n.d. Photo of Gershwin at the piano, inscribed on the mount, "To Margy Paley With my best wishes & affection." With an autograph musical quotation from "Rhapsody in Blue" added to the left of the signature. Light toning to mount. Boldly penned and signed. A magnificent display piece. Estimated Value $5,000 - 7,500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $9,533
Lot 267		[Guns N Roses] - Over 700 Original Transparencies Taken From 1988-1993. Large collection of original transparencies taken by Robert John, Guns N Roses' official band photographer. This is an incredible collection--a photographic tour of the band's life from 1987-1994--on planes, tour buses, in clubs; with shots from backstage, and everyday routines; with friends, girlfriends, and guest artists such as Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz. Guns N' Roses formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1985 and was signed to Geffen Records in 1986. The band was composed of Axl Rose on vocals, Slash on lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan on bass, and Steven Adler on drums. The band's debut album "Appetite for Destruction" (1987) reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1988, on the strength of the hit single "Sweet Child o' Mine," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album sold more than 28 million copies worldwide, including 18 million albums in the United States, making it the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S. Robert John gave this collection to Simon Kenton, owner of a UK company called IDOLS and the European publicist for the band, to use for publicity purposes in magazines such as Rolling Stone. In 2010, Kenton gave the transparencies as a gift to Doug Pope, who was a sound tech with the band on their 1990-'93 world tour. Pope also toured with Metallica, INXS, Cher Slayer, Elvis Costello, and Rod Stewart. Guide to photos: Duff McKagen--bass guitar player; Slash--lead guitar player; Axl Rose--lead vocalist, frontman; Matt Soren--drummer; Steven Adler, the original drummer and Izzy Stravin, the original rhythm guitarist; Axl Rose and model from "November Rain" video; whole band with Aerosmith; Slash backstage with hair wrapped; Lars from Metallica, Sebastian Bach, Axl, Duff, and Slash; early shot of Axl Rose; and an early shot of the band. This collection should definitely be seen in person to be appreciated. Estimated Value $8,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 268		Liszt, Franz (1811-1886) Hungarian composer and pianist; one of the greatest composers and pianists of the 19th century. Autograph signed ("F. Liszt"), 1p, in German, 8 x 5½", n.p., n.d. (Thursday). To Thorne, director of the theatre in Prague, which Liszt had not been able to attend. Liszt thanks him kindly for the nice gift and sends Thorne two ducats for the poor people. Fine. Estimated Value $700 - 900. The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,080
Lot 269		Monk, Thelonious. Program for the 1st Annual Los Angeles Jazz Festival, October 2-3 (1959) signed by Monk in blue ink on the page with his photo and biography, 12 x 9", 12 pages. Other famous performs at the festival included Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Sarah Vaughan, Shorty Rogers, Nina Simone, Cal Tjader, Machito, Billy Eckstine, the Hi-Lo's, and others. Monk (1917-82) was a jazz pianist and composer known for his improvisational style. Estimated Value $300 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $840
Lot 270		[Presley, Elvis] 1954 Sun Record: "That's All Right". Great example of Sun Records #209, "That's All Right," flip side of "Blue Moon of Kentucky," with lightly worn labels and minimal scratching. Name of "Darlene" is written on one label. This version features "Wabash Music Co. BMI" on the A side, and "Peer BMI" on the B side. Presley's version of Arthur Crudup's song was recorded July 5, 1954, and was released July 19th. During an uneventful recording session at Sun Studios, Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black were taking a break between recordings. Presley began singing an up-tempo version of "That's All Right." Black joined in on his upright bass and then Moore on guitar. Shocked by the sound, producer Sam Phillips asked them to start again so he cold record it. Upon finishing the recording, according to Moore, Black remarked, "Damn. Get that on the radio and they'll run us out of town." The rest, as they say, is history. This is the most sought after of all records. Also included is a scarce soft Elvis Presley record, "The Truth About Me," a 78 RPM from a 1956 magazine. Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $900
Lot 271		Puccini, Giacomo (1858-1924) Italian composer whose works include "La Bohème," "Tosca," and "Madame Butterfly." Autograph letter signed ("G. Puccini"), 1p, on his personal letterhead, in Italian, 10½ x 8¼", Viareggio/ Via Buonarroti, July 4, 1924. To G. Zuccoli, the author of the piano score of his opera "Turandot." In part: "…In a few days I will send you the improved arrangement of the first act. For certain parts it wasn't very precise, but I wrote down the comment. The system should be changed slightly. I would like to have the upper and lower octaves kept as they are and, if possible, also the harmony. Should it not be done the way I desire, then the music will seem rather pitiful and the orchestra less expressive. Risk only a few acrobatic tricks - this is possible by means of the third staff line…." Fine. From 1921 Puccini lived in Viareggo. The same year he started writing down the sketches of Turandot, but no other opera made him doubt himself as much. His work lasted four years. In the fall of 1924, the year he wrote this letter, he found out that he had laryngeal cancer and was hospitalized in a clinic in Brussels, where he passed away a short time later. Estimated Value $600 - 800. The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,320
Lot 272		The Three Tenors [Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti]. The Three Tenors is a name given to the Spanish singers Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and the late Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti, who sang in concert under this banner during the 1990s and early 2000s. The Three Tenors phenomenon was applauded by many for introducing opera to a wider audience, but some opera purists rebuked them, saying opera was not music for the masses. Autographed slip of paper, signed by each tenor, 6 x 7½". Fine condition. Estimated Value $100 - 125. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $120