Previously unseen sketches for a 1966 rotating book project created by Zacron, the artist who would later create the album cover for Led Zeppelin III, have been purchased by prolific Led Zeppelin collector Brian Knapp.

The sketches were designs for a book produced while Zacron, real name Richard Drew, studied at the Royal College of Art. They contain similar themes, including a spinning wheel and cutout windows, that would later be used for the cover of Led Zeppelin’s third album that was released in 1970.

Seller Joseph O’Donnell, a music memorabilia seller, purchased the sketches in an auction of items from Zacron’s estate.

Knapp is one of the best-known collectors of Led Zeppelin memorabilia in the world and served as archival consultant to “Becoming Led Zeppelin”. His collection was featured in a 2021 issue of Record Collector.

“Zacron was a very important artist, and his friendship and connection with Led Zeppelin are equally significant to the band’s legacy,” Knapp said in a statement. “I am pleased to add these to my collection, which I hope to exhibit at some point in the future.”

Are these sketches for Led Zeppelin III?

The sketches purchased by Knapp clearly show designs for a rotating wheel with cutout sections created by Zacron, but were these sketches made when planning the album cover for Led Zeppelin III?

O’Donnell claimed in a March 24 press release that the sketches are “unseen Led Zeppelin album artwork sketches”. According to the press release, O’Donnell discovered in the estate sale “a framed drawing described as a working draft for the album cover sold for nearly £2,500.”

“O’Donnell noticed a series of numbers in the corner of this sheet and, upon further inspection, discovered within a separate mixed lot other pages with a similar but ascending series of numbers,” the release continued.

To investigate this link between Led Zeppelin’s album cover and the sketches sold to Knapp, LedZepNews dug out an earlier press release issued by O’Donnell on February 23. That release explained that the framed drawing sold for nearly £2,500 was identified by the code “S10 2” written in the corner.

That drawing appears to be lot 12 in the estate sale, which remains viewable on the website of auction house Reeman Dansie and includes “S10 2” in the corner.

However, the auction house sold it not as a “working draft for the album cover” but as a “working drawing for the rotating book, 1966”. It did, however, call it “an early, Royal College of Art period working of the idea which ultimately became the rotating pin-wheel for his iconic Led Zeppelin album cover”.

In the February press release, O’Donnell also mentioned that the sketches were identified as being for the project “One Line and A Box”, the name of the 1966 book Zacron created while a student.

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