From Sun Records to the British Invasion: Rock & Roll History Comes to Auction

Few collecting categories bring history to life quite like rock & roll memorabilia. A guitar played onstage, an album signed at the beginning of a band’s rise, or even a corporate document can offer a tangible connection to the musicians and moments that shaped popular culture.

That sense of connection runs throughout Rockhurst Auctions’ Rock & Roll Artifacts and Autographs, a timed auction taking place on Bidsquare from August 25 through August 29, 2026. The 241-lot sale spans decades of music history, with autographs, instruments, vintage vinyl, original photography, RIAA Gold and Platinum Record Awards, and memorabilia associated with artists ranging from Elvis Presley and The Beatles to Jerry Garcia and Ace Frehley.

Featured Auction Highlights:

Carl Perkins’ Stage-Played 1962 Epiphone “Emperor-E112T” Guitar (Lot 1)
The standout lot is a 1962 Epiphone “Emperor-E112T” hollow-body electric guitar owned and played by rockabilly pioneer Carl Perkins. Acquired directly from the Perkins family, the guitar is extensively documented through photographs and a letter signed by Perkins’ son. 

Its history is remarkable. Perkins played the guitar while performing with Johnny Cash in the late 1960s, including at the legendary Folsom Prison and San Quentin concerts. According to the lot documentation, it was also the instrument Perkins used while he and Cash’s band improvised the backing to “A Boy Named Sue” during its famous San Quentin performance. Perkins’ son further connects the guitar to “Daddy Sang Bass,” written by Perkins and recorded by Cash. Even without that provenance, the instrument is rare: the auction notes that only 24 Emperor models were produced at Epiphone’s Kalamazoo facility between 1962 and 1968. 

Starting Bid: $75,000

A Beatles-Signed Please Please Me Album Cover (Lot 2)
For Beatles collectors, an early 1963 mono Please Please Me album cover signed on the reverse by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr captures the group near the beginning of its extraordinary ascent. 

Paul and Ringo’s signatures appear boldly, while Lennon and Harrison’s signatures have been professionally enhanced for presentation. Paul, John, and George each added the “XXX” commonly seen with their signatures during the period, while Ringo personalized his autograph to a fan named “Jan.” The album is accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from Beckett Authentic. 

Starting Bid: $10,000

Jerry Garcia Before the Grateful Dead (Lot 10)
One of the auction’s more unexpected offerings reveals another side of Jerry Garcia. This early 1960s oil painting on board dates to the period when Garcia was attending what would become the San Francisco Art Institute, years before his visual art became another celebrated part of his creative legacy. 

Measuring 15 by 21 inches, the painting comes with a Letter of Authenticity from the Weir Gallery Archive, which connects its composition and colors to other works from Garcia’s early period. Its provenance also includes a letter from longtime owner Hank Harrison, who had connections to the Grateful Dead’s earliest history. For collectors, it offers a glimpse of Garcia as a young artist still developing the creative instincts that would later define his music. 

Starting Bid: $5,000

Ace Frehley’s 1977 Carlo Robelli Guitar (Lot 12)
KISS fans will find plenty of personality in Ace Frehley’s 1977 Carlo Robelli curly maple guitar. The instrument was acquired from the personal storage facility of KISS’s longtime 1970s manager Bill Aucoin and comes with a letter of provenance from producer and director Damien Vivona. 

Its case, though not original to the guitar, has been with it for years and carries Frehley’s signature along with the inscription, “Keep up the Carlo Curly.” Wear to the headstock, body, and lower edge provides visible evidence of a guitar that was heavily used rather than simply stored away. 

Starting Bid: $2,500

A 1956 Elvis Presley Music, Inc. Document (Lot 4)
Sometimes the quieter objects tell the biggest stories. This 1956 document signed by Elvis Presley relates to a company meeting of Elvis Presley Music, Inc., the publishing company established after Presley signed with RCA and entered an agreement with Hill and Range Publishing. 

The document concerns corporate expense payments to Elvis, Jean and Julian Aberbach, and Colonel Tom Parker, and bears signatures from both Elvis and his father, Vernon Presley. Accompanied by Letters of Authenticity from Graceland Authenticated and Beckett Authentic, it offers a fascinating look beyond the stage and into the business infrastructure developing around Elvis as his career exploded in 1956. 

Starting Bid: $5,000

Collecting the Stories Behind the Music

What makes Rockhurst Auctions’ sale compelling is the range of stories contained within it. These aren’t simply objects bearing famous names. They connect collectors to performances, recordings, creative beginnings, and pivotal moments in the business of rock & roll.

From a guitar tied to Johnny Cash’s historic prison concerts to an early Jerry Garcia painting and a Beatles album signed before Beatlemania reached its full force, the August 29 Rock & Roll Artifacts and Autographs auction offers an opportunity to collect pieces of music history with stories that extend far beyond the memorabilia itself.

Register to bid on Bidsquare.com.