Philip Kamin, a renown rock n’ roll photographer, has selected Legendary Auctions, a premier Sports and Americana auction house, to sell his prized photography collection which features rock music icons from the last 50 years. The 30,000-plus piece collection of images consists of Kamin’s own photographs as well as other famous shots he has acquired during his career. The collection includes historic photos of musical greats such as the Beatles at Shea Stadium, The Rolling Stones in concert, candid frames of Elvis Presley, Madonna, The Doors, and Sting, among others. Each original photograph will be sold with its copyrights.
A large portion of Kamin’s collection will be included in Legendary Auction’s February Premium sale of high-end Sports and Americana Collectibles. Phone and internet bidding will begin on Monday, February 15 and conclude on Wednesday, February 24 and Thursday, February 25.
Philip Kamin picked up his first camera in the summer of 1978. Kamin’s natural talent was readily evident, and in short order landed him the coveted gig as tour photographer for the band, Genesis. His artistry met instant success and Kamin became one of the most in-demand music photographers on the United Kingdom’s rock n’ roll circuit. Over the years, Kamin has also worked with Paul McCartney & Wings, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan, Phil Collins, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Yes, Mick Jagger, The Clash, AC/DC, Rush, Queen, King Crimson, Van Halen, Motorhead, Roxy Music, Bill Bruford, Black Sabbath, The Cars, Madonna and John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s Blues Brothers.
In addition to the stunning imagery and framing that is displayed in Kamin’s photographs, another aspect that sets them apart is that they have never been sold to newspapers, magazines or photo agencies. Instead, Kamin only sold his photographs to the bands he toured with, the band’s manager, their public relations firms, record companies, or the band’s merchandisers. As a result, substantially all of these photographs represent unique slides and negatives and their original rights have remained in Kamin’s possession for decades.
Kamin’s passion for rock n’ roll photography extended beyond the lens of his own camera. For years, Kamin has been adding to his own personal photo collection with shots taken by other rock n’ roll photo enthusiasts. Exhibiting the same control he insisted on with his own work, Kamin always purchased the copyrights with every photograph he purchased.
Now, after years of safeguarding his treasured images, Kamin feels the time is right to share them with rock n’ roll fans everywhere. “I have had a lot of time to enjoy these images and I want to make sure they end up in the hands of individuals who will cherish them as much as I have,” said Kamin. “Bringing them to avid collectors seems to make the most sense.”
Doug Allen, President and CEO of Legendary Auctions, is excited about the opportunity to offer Kamin’s photography to Legendary Auctions’ customer base. “These photographs represent exactly the type of material that our collectors want,” said Allen. “High quality items that are fresh to the hobby are always in demand and with the added bonus of the rights being sold with the images, it just makes them that much more desirable.”
Among the most notable images in Kamin’s collection that will be sold are:
• The Beatles at Shea Stadium
• Early Beatles from 1963-64
• Early Jimi Hendrix
• The Who with Keith Moon
• Led Zeppelin with Jimmy Page
• Rolling Stones with Brian Jones
• Queen featuring Freddie Mercury
• Pink Floyd
• Deep Purple
• Bob Dylan
• Michael Jackson “Thriller Tour” Photos
• Preeminent Guitarist including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughn
For additional details regarding the Phil Kamin Collection or to pre-register to bid in the February auction, call Legendary Auctions at 708-889-9380 or go to www.legendaryauctions.com.
About Legendary Auctions
Legendary Auctions, headquartered in Lansing, IL, is a premier auction house that specializes in bringing the finest Sports and Americana memorabilia to the collecting public. During the past decade, the company’s principals have managed the sale of over $300 million in historical collectibles and overseen the auction of newsworthy items such as the most expensive baseball card sold publicly, the Bob Gibson Collection (which netted more than $500,000), the “Bartman” baseball, Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak bat, and Roger Maris’ 1961 “61 home run season” jersey. Legendary Auctions conducts several sales annually in a combination of phone/internet and live auction events.