Original Grateful Dead 1966 Skeleton & Roses Concert Poster, 3rd Printing FD-26
- Regular price
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$3,950.00 - Regular price
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$0.00 - Sale price
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$3,950.00
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Few collectibles in the history of American music are as instantly recognizable — or as culturally important — as the Grateful Dead’s legendary “Skeleton & Roses” concert poster. Offered here is an original vintage third printing issued in 1966 for the Grateful Dead performances held at San Francisco’s Avalon Ballroom on September 16-17, 1966, during the formative years of both the band and the psychedelic movement that would forever reshape American popular culture.
The legendary Family Dog Productions concert poster (catalogued as FD-26, “Skeleton & Roses”) remains one of the defining visual statements of the psychedelic era. Featuring the now-iconic skeletal figure intertwined with vivid red roses, the imagery, color palette, and unmistakable composition perfectly capture the surreal and experimental aesthetic associated with San Francisco during the mid-1960’s. Produced for an early Grateful Dead performance alongside fellow Bay Area psychedelic group Oxford Circle, the poster has become inseparable from both the band itself and the broader counterculture movement that emerged from San Francisco during the decade.
More than half a century later, “Skeleton & Roses” remains perhaps the single most sought after and collected concert poster ever produced. Original first printings in strong condition routinely realize well into six figures at major auctions, underscoring the immense collector demand and historical significance attached to the title. This example is an authentic period-issued third printing, offering collectors a genuine vintage example of one of the most celebrated posters in music history.
Of course, the Grateful Dead occupy a singular place in American music history. Emerging from the San Francisco counterculture scene, the band helped define the sound, spirit, and visual identity of a generation. Their influence extended far beyond music, leaving a lasting impact on art, fashion, live performance, and American culture as a whole. Early concert material connected to the band’s rise within the San Francisco music scene remains among the most desirable in all of rock-and-roll memorabilia.
The original artwork for this poster was created by the legendary Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley, the influential psychedelic art duo whose work helped establish the visual language of the counterculture movement and remains instantly recognizable to collectors worldwide.
The poster, measuring approximately 20” x 14”, remains in excellent condition and has been lightly professionally cleaned prior to custom framing for premium display purposes.
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