Celebrating Bob Dylan Auction Brought In Almost $1.5 Million

01-19-2025

(Homage) Julien's Auctions, the industry's leading rock and roll memorabilia auction house, returned to Music City for their latest auction "Celebrating Bob Dylan: The Aronowitz Archive & More," which took place today (January 18) at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Generating nearly $1.5 million in sales, the white glove auction featured a spectacular lineup of 60 pieces of music history owned and used by Dylan, including 50 from trailblazing rock journalist Al Aronowitz's own personal archive. The excitement was palpable as a room full of bidders at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, and several thousand registered bidders online, and those phoning in offers from around the world raced to acquire an array of rare Dylan memorabilia from his "A Complete Unknown" era.

The bidders, hailing from Slovakia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and beyond, reflected an unprecedented audience at today's auction. This global reach underscores the enduring influence of Dylan and his deserved epithet, "the Voice of a Generation."

Headlining auction items included the original typewritten lyrics to Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man," which sold for $508,000. The song appeared as the lead track on the acoustic side of his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home and became the first Dylan composition to reach #1 in the United States and the UK. Additionally, a signed original 1968 oil on canvas painting by Dylan sold for $260,000. The figural painting is from the very inception of Dylan's painting endeavors when he received his first set of oil paints as a 27th birthday present from his wife Sara. Dylan's owned and played 1983 Fender Telecaster sold for $222,250, which was made specifically for the legendary singer-songwriter.

"It was a fantastic auction with outstanding sales," said Martin Nolan, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Julien's Auctions. "We're honored to highlight this truly unique collection with so many historic Bob Dylan items from the grandfather of rock journalism, Al Aronowitz. Today's white glove auction just reinforces the extraordinary impact and everlasting love that people have for Dylan, which transcends generations."

"My family and I are thrilled with the auction," said Al's son Myles Aronowitz. "These items were evidence of the unique and intimate place my father had in musical and cultural history with his good friend Bob Dylan, and all the other iconic artists of his day. We're grateful to Julien's for helping to bring my father's legacy and cultural significance back to the public eye. Julien's Auctions did extensive research, and committed huge resources and expertise to the promotional work necessary to bring these artifacts to a successful auction."

Additional stellar highlights of the auction included the following Dylan items:

Original pencil sketch of a hand on Plaza Hotel memo pad: $88,900 (almost 60x the estimate)

Signed handwritten lyrics for "Blowin' in the Wind": $44,450 (almost 3x the estimate)

Screen worn patchwork denim jacket from 1987 feature film "Hearts of Fire": $25,400

Handwritten notes on Allen Ginsberg: $25,400 (31x the estimate)
Signed M. Hohner Marine Band harmonica: $15,875 (almost 16x the estimate)
Large Nat Finkelstein signed photograph of visit to Andy Warhol's Factory: $12,700 (almost 16x the estimate)

7" "Blowin' In The Wind" / "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" DJ promo single: $8,890 (over 10x the estimate)

Julien's Auctions continues to solidify its position as an innovative global leader in music, entertainment and celebrity auctions, uniting collectors and enthusiasts from 14 countries for this sale.