A poster auction at Heritage auctioneers that took place between April 17-19, 2025 was expected to set a new record where The Grateful Dead posters are in question. A hand-drawn poster for the first publicly attended acid test, that introduced The Grateful Dead name (the band previously went under the name of The Warlocks), was bidding at over $17,000, before ultimately selling for $37,500.00. This poster is one of the earliest and rarest Dead artifacts ever offered, and is considered a defining piece of 1960s counterculture.
Drawn in crayon and reading “Can You Pass the Acid Test?”, the sign led fans to a San Jose house on Dec. 4, 1965. Even more remarkable—it was saved that night by two local high school sisters, one of whom took guitar lessons from Bob Weir.
An equally significant piece of rock history joins the posters in this auction: Picture John Bonham at his amber Ludwig Vistalite kit, that 26-inch bass drumhead with its hand-painted interlocking rings — the symbol from Led Zeppelin IV — staring out at roaring crowds. This is the drumhead he used through the 1973 and 1975 North American tours, plus European dates, powering over 70 shows. It was there for the filming of The Song Remains the Same at Madison Square Garden and the legendary five-night Earls Court stand in London, Zeppelin’s live high-water mark. It thudded through the first live runs of “Kashmir,” “In My Time of Dying,” and “Trampled Under Foot,” and all five rare performances of “When the Levee Breaks,” with Bonham’s iconic beat anchoring the whole.
