The original art for Led Zeppelin’s debut album sold for $325,000 at auction

Led Zeppelin debut album

The original art for Led Zeppelin’s debut album sold for $325,000 at auction on June 18, blowing past an estimate of $20,000-30,000.

The stipple tracing artwork, created and still owned by George Hardie, was sold in an online auction by Christie’s.

The item had been given an estimate of $20,000-$30,000 but bidding reached beyond the $100,000 mark on Thursday evening in the final hours before bidding closed.

Hardie created the artwork in 1969 while he was still a student at the Royal College of Art in London.

The artwork created by Hardie is quite small and measures 177 x 177mm, according to Christie’s.

Hardie said he was paid £60 for the artwork.

“I think the drawing made a good and memorable cover, but this was more to do with the photograph and Jimmy Page’s choice of it than with my skill as a dotter,” he told Christie’s in an interview.

The artwork was rediscovered several years ago when Hardie was clearing out his studio.

“It was unsullied, in a clean folder on which one of my partners had written years ago, ‘G’s pension fund,'” Hardie told Christie’s.

Follow Led Zeppelin News on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on news as it happens. You can also sign up to our email for a digest of the latest news sent to your inbox. LedZepNews uses paid Amazon referral links to earn commissions to cover its costs.

2 Comments on "The original art for Led Zeppelin’s debut album sold for $325,000 at auction"

  1. What they didn’t know.. that it was a drawing (taken from a photo, from a historical event)

    • Michael Hollamby | 24th July 2022 at 11:35 am | Reply

      Errr,no….the artist clearly states he copied it from a photograph..”the drawing made a good and memorable cover, but this was more to do with the photograph and Jimmy Page’s choice of it””.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*