A treasure trove of memorabilia from rapper Tupac Shakur, including hand-written lyrics, a gold Death Row Records medallion, and the licence plates off his Rolls Royce, are heading to auction the same day his pal Snoop Dogg inducts the the legendary “gangsta” into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The extremely rare items, part of a historic and massive auction of artifacts from some of the world’s best known blacks including Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson and Frederick Douglass, will test the market for African American history and gangsta rap.
But if the prices put on those dozens of items by Maryland-based Alexander Historical Auctions are any sign, the Black Heritage Auction should break records and draw attention to the online and live sale taking place at the Dumbo Loft in Brooklyn April 7.
Alexander President Bill Panagopulos, whose auction house specializes in historical items and rare autographs, told Secrets that Tupac “sells for more than Abraham Lincoln or George Washington.”
While other auctions of black memorabilia often include negative elements such as KKK or slavery items, he said the heritage auction focuses on positive history about African Americans and is so diverse that the catalog itself is a Who’s Who of black America.
Consider some of the offerings: writings by Douglass, Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver; MLK signatures; a mouthpiece from a Louis Armstrong trumpet; Jackson’s fedora; retired Gen. Colin Powell’s uniform with medals; paintings by Muhammed Ali; and former President Obama’s ESPN NCAA men’s basketball bracket.
Auction sponsor Paxton Baker, a prominent Washingtonian, jazz collector, former BET executive and Washington Nationals co-owner, said “what we have in there is great and it’s fun.”
Black Heritage Auction To Be Centered Around Tupac Shakur | HipHopDX https://t.co/Jg4Qrd970N
— Paxton Baker (@PaxtonKBaker) March 23, 2017
He has been collecting for 20 years and explained that black heritage items were typically added to other period auctions, not given the prominence of their own show. By including a broad representation of African-American political, sports and entertainment memorabilia, he said, at auction are “what I would like my kids to have.
But it’s the timing of the sale and the Tupac items that stand out. Over his career, he sold 75 million records and his “All Eyez On Me” album is one of the best selling ever. He died at 25 in 1996 in a drive by shooting. Lyrics to that song and a handwritten track list from the album are being auctioned as is the diamond nose stud he wore for the album cover photo. A movie about Tupac with the same name is planned.
During his career he often tested trouble, and the proof is the sale in the auction of his New York prison identification card, which could fetch $30,000.
But he also followed the Koran, and his copy could reach $80,000.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
