Grateful Dead memorabilia headed to the auction block

Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Famed auction house Sotheby's announced Wednesday that it will be selling numerous items from the rock band, the Grateful Dead, this fall.

From the Vault: Property from the Grateful Dead and Friends is an online auction of clothes, instruments, equipment and memorabilia that is scheduled to take place Oct. 7-14.

"The Grateful Dead are renowned around the world as one of the most famous and beloved bands of all time -- attracting an incredibly devoted and loyal community of fans formed over decades that transformed the group into a touchstone of pop culture that goes far beyond just their music," Richard Austin, Sotheby's global head of books and manuscripts, said in a statement Wednesday.

"From Jerry Garcia's stage-used 12-string guild Starfire to the surviving equipment from the groundbreaking Wall of Sound, the band's legendary sound system that defined their live performances, to the fashions worn on stage by Garcia to the chemistry set used to make LSD for the counterculture in the '60s. As the most important sale dedicated to the Grateful Dead ever assembled, we are excited to showcase these objects with veteran Deadheads and the general public alike."

The band and Rhino are also partnering with the Coda Collection to exclusively stream rarely seen, professionally filmed live performances.

"Beginning today, the Grateful Dead's summer tour opener from July 2, 1989 in Foxboro, MA is now available to stream for the first time," a Coda Collection press release said.

"On Sept. 8, the Coda Collection will release Live in Washington, D.C. 7/12/89, captured days later at RFK Stadium during the same tour amid the backdrop of notable scrutiny from local political figures. On Sept. 29, The Coda Collection will release Live at Giants Stadium 6/17/91, one of the most euphoric concerts of the Dead's later era. This show includes Bruce Hornsby guesting on keyboards and features the first 'Dark Star Jam' (a Holy Grail for Dead Heads) since 1974."

The band was formed in 1965 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Garcia, the group's iconic lead singer and guitarist, died of a heart attack in 1995 at the age of 53.