Rare festival posters raise record sums
A pair of historic Bath Festival posters have sold for record sums at auction after being discovered by chance in an attic. The items, which were used as adverts for the 1969 and 1970 events, were bought for £1,500 and £2,300 respectively. Both of the posters were discovered by Martin Hughes, of Wessex Auction Rooms, while he was looking through a seller’s collection of vinyl records in their Bristol loft and he immediately knew they were worth something. The seller had forgotten he had them and was surprised when Martin thought they were worth selling. Martin said: “They are very hard to come by - they weren’t the kind of things you could buy. “Usually, they’d just be put up in a shop then ripped down. “When the owner said he had them I mentioned they might be the best thing. I just knew they were rare.” Mr Hughes, who is director and music specialist at the Chippenham valuers, was stood on the rostrum at the specialist Vinyl Records and Music Memorabilia auction as the posters were sold. The 1970 item was snapped up by a Led Zeppelin collector, all the way from the United States of America. “He had been looking for one for 15 years, apparently,” he said. “If you look at it, it’s quite special. “It’s unusual to see Pink Floyd halfway down the bill and Led Zeppelin second. Initially valued at between £400 and £500, Mr Hughes said the seller is now a very happy man. “He was watching it live online at home, and he’d emailed me before I’d even left the stage. “Music is one of those areas where you never know what you’re going to find. “Someone else might have one you just don’t know what items will be worth.”