Celebrity Memorabilia, Celebrity Pictures, and Much More at this Backstage Auction Site!  
by Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. - Last updated 11/10/2005

You can get celebrity pictures and celebrity memorabilia of classic rock icons, such as unpublished pictures of Jim Morrison or Mick Jagger, Barry Manilow or Stevie Wonder, and much much more at this cool website featuring both “backstage auctions”, and a store.

The concept of the site, called, aptly enough, Backstage Auctions, is simple: to provide a conduit through which the owners of music memorabilia can auction or sell their items directly to the public. According to Backstage Auctions owners Jacques and Kelli van Gool, the goal of Back Stage Auctions is “to restore the confidence, thrill and excitement in collecting rock and roll memorabilia.”

The twist is that all of the items must be listed by their original owners, and include a certificate of authenticity. Backstage Auctions deals only with music industry professionals and insiders. Thus the photos of Jim Morrison during a very early Doors studio recording session are listed by the photographer who actually took them, and warranted to be unpublished and one of a kind. The items in the recent auction of never-before-available KISS memorabilia came directly from Lydia Criss, ex-wife of KISS band member Peter Criss.

The “direct from industry professionals to the customer” aspect, along with certificates of authenticity, is an important part of the van Gools’ model. Explains the site, “Nowadays, it’s hard to feel confident in purchasing collectibles because it’s so hard to find auction houses that can 100% guarantee the authenticity of the piece. And when you do find a reputable auction house that will guarantee the purchase - you pay a heavy premium on top of the actual cost of the collectible you are purchasing.” The van Gools’ goal was to put “integrity back into the collectibles market”, and thus Backstage Auctions was born.

The list of items which they have available, and the names attached to them, is impressive indeed. Demo reels, private unpublished photos, backstage passes, and even a set of legal documents related to a lawsuit. Names include KISS, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Who, the Stones, the Doors, and Pink Floyd. Wow, just reading the list will give you flashbacks.

Backstage Auctions is a great place to take a trip down memory lane, treat yourself to something which piques the musical nostalgia in you, and hey, even to do a little Christmas shopping.

You can find the site at Backstage Auctions.

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