Empty Cigarette Packs Owned by Jimi Hendrix Sell for $331.51, Hendrix Strat Fetches Over $128,000

November 20/21, 2004. The date this story takes place depends upon where you live. I'm watching the Cooper Owen "Jimi Hendrix Part I" auction from Portugal where, as Lot 153 comes up it's almost 1:30 AM on the 21st. Not a bad time of day if you're watching the auction from Los Angeles where it's only 5:30 PM and still the 20th.

Started watching the auction via eBay Live about two-and-a-half hours ago. Want to see what happens with Lot 195, the Hendrix Stratocaster.

Meanwhile, quite a bit of music festival memorabilia has come up for sale, and a number of photographs of Hendrix. A few of the photos are very dramatic.

But what's really caught my eye is Lot 173 that will be up in just a few minutes. Here's the description from Cooper Owen:

Lot 173
Two empty packs of 'Salem' cigarettes originally form [sic] the collection of Hendrix' friend Sharon Lawrence

The lot is accompanied by a typed signed letter from Lawrence reading 'My friend Jimi Hendrix smoked the cigarettes in these empty Salem packets during 1970. The empty packs were found in a bag of his belongings he gave me to store for him during that year.

US$440-580 [Cooper Owen estimate of the lot's value]

***

That's right, two empty packs of cigarettes. See for youself: Lot 173.

Here comes Lot 173 now...

- the Salem cigarette packs go for 180 GBP, or about $331.51 USD. A bit short of the value estimate, but not bad for two empty celebrity owned cigarette packs.

A little more time to kill before the Hendrix Strat comes up. There goes a pair of Noel Redding's eyeglasses...close to $600.

The auction's taking place in London at the Marquee Club, but thanks to modern technology, anyone can watch the bidding action (and bid if so inclined) via eBay Live.

Lot 195...

The Hendrix Strat sells for 70,000 GBP, approximately $128,919 USD. Five bids, all from the auction floor at the Marquee.