Christmas comes early for music and youth charities
Dallas, Texas – For more than five decades, the late Arthur "Skip" Maggiora, namesake of the beloved Skip's Music in Sacramento, was as essential to music-making in California's capital city as the instruments he sold and the sounds they made. He not only sold guitars to "generations of aspiring musicians and countless weekend garage warriors," as The Sacramento Bee once wrote, but Maggiora founded an annual summer youth program called Stairway to Stardom and its adult counterpart Weekend Warriors.
The man had two passions, says his son Creed: music and teaching. Because his was "a heart of gold," says Creed.
Music programs and youth charities
That was evident just one week before Christmas, when 150 vintage guitars from Maggiora's collection sold Tuesday at Heritage Auctions for $2,425,044, with the proceeds going to those music programs and youth charities Maggiora founded and championed before his death at 75 last year.
Over 840 competed
More than 840 bidders competed for Maggiora's coveted collection, which ranged from prized rarities to beloved keepsakes, including Skip's first guitar. Not a single guitar was left on the racks when The Skip Maggiora Legacy Guitar Collection Charity Signature(r) Auction wrapped Tuesday evening.
"The response from the collecting community was incredible," says Carolyn Mani, West Coast Director of Trust & Estates. "Heritage was thrilled to present his extraordinary collection, and we're especially pleased to know that the proceeds from its sale will benefit the charitable causes that aligned with Skip's vision of promoting music education."
The collection was extraordinary, befitting Maggiora's five decades behind the counter of his shops and on the music scene's front lines. Creed hopes the auction's winners will play the guitars: "They have souls."
1954 Strat snags $300,000
The auction's top seller was its centerpiece: a stunning 1954 Fender Stratocaster Sunburst Solid Body Electric Guitar from the first year of the transformative instrument's production. The catalog noted that "this guitar holds immense historical significance for collectors and musicians alike." Hence the bidding war over this rarity, which realized $300,000.
"Great instruments naturally bring great results, and the Custom Color guitars certainly delivered, but it was the exceptional condition of these pieces that truly set this auction to 11," says Aaron Piscopo, Heritage's Director of Vintage Guitars & Musical Instruments. "Working alongside the dedicated team at Skip's Music and Creed to achieve Skip's goals was an honor and a privilege. Together, we helped ensure this legacy collection found its way into the hands of those who will truly appreciate it."
1955 Metallic Green Strat
The auction's other six-figure offering was an extraordinarily rare 1955 Fender Stratocaster Metallic Green Solid Body Electric Guitar, one of only a few examples documented from a period when custom colors were hard to come by. It sold Tuesday for $143,750.
Collectors worldwide tussled over every offering, with many of the 150 guitars surpassing their pre-auction estimates. A 1953 Fender Telecaster Butterscotch Blonde Solid Body Electric Guitar sold for $75,000. Not far behind were a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Solid Body Electric Guitar and a 1963 Fender Stratocaster Sunburst Solid Body Electric Guitar, each of which realized $68,750.
Three instruments sold for $62,500, including a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Standard Goldtop Solid Body Electric Guitar and, from the same year, a Les Paul Goldtop Solid Body Electric Guitar. Joining that iconic duo was an instrument of significant sentimental value to Skip: Tiny Moore's 1952 Bigsby Electric Mandolin, built by the pioneering luthier Paul Bigsby and played by the Western-swingin' Texan, whose career included stints with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys and Merle Haggard's band The Strangers.
Moore's instruments weren't the only professionally played guitars in this star-studded auction: a circa-1980s Kramer EVH Prototype Red, White and Black Striped Solid Body Electric Guitar signed – and smashed! – by Eddie Van Halen realized $35,000. And a circa 1981 Kramer Gene Simmons Axe Black Electric Bass Guitar signed by the KISS co-founder sold for $8,750.
"The journey of these incredible instruments from Skip's personal collection to Heritage Auctions and ultimately to players and collectors from around the world caps off the efforts of many dedicated people who loved Skip and wanted to see his vision of a more musical world continue on," says longtime friend and colleague Joe Lamond, Trustee and President Emeritus of the National Association of Music Merchants. "The Trustees are grateful to Creed Maggiora, Morgan Stanley, The Fine Art Group, Heritage Auctions and advisors Anne Rosenthal and Alan Friedman. We will now get to work to ensure these proceeds are invested in programs that will bring music to countless young people for years to come."