Bob Dylan draft lyrics for Mr Tambourine Man sell for over £400k

Lyric notes were mong 60 items up for sale in the auction dedicated to the celebrated musician 

Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Sunday 19 January 2025 10:59 GMT
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Unreleased Bob Dylan lyric

Bob Dylan’s typewritten drafts for his hit 1965 song “Mr Tambourine Man” have sold for more than £400,000 at auction in Nashville, Tennessee.

The two yellow sheets of paper contain three progressive drafts of the lyrics with annotations on the third draft of the song.

Dylan’s drafts were up for auction with an estimated price tag of $400,000 to $600,000 and sold for $508,000 (£417,000).

They were among 60 items that were up for sale in the dedicated auction for the acclaimed singer at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, with 50 pieces from the personal collection of music journalist Al Aronowitz.

An oil painting made and signed by Dylan in 1968 also met its estimate of $200,000 to $300,000 (£164,230 to £246,345), selling for $260,000 (£213,499).

The artwork depicts a figure in bright colours in a cubist style and was produced by Dylan after his first wife, Sara, gifted him oil paints for his 27th birthday.

Among other high value lots was a 1983 Fender Telecaster electric guitar, which was owned and played by Dylan before he gifted it to famed amplifier technician and musician Cesar Diaz.

Bob Dylan’s typewritten drafts for his hit 1965 song “Mr Tambourine Man” have sold for more than £400,000 at auction
Bob Dylan’s typewritten drafts for his hit 1965 song “Mr Tambourine Man” have sold for more than £400,000 at auction (Julien’s Auctions/PA)

The instrument surpassed its estimated sale price of $80,000 to $120,000 to sell for $222,250.

A number of sketches by Dylan also sold for well over their estimated price tags, including one drawing of a hand on a pad from The Plaza hotel in New York.

The drawing was expected to sell for $1,500 to $2,500 (£1,231 to £2,052), but went for $88,900 (£73,000).

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Additionally, a Levi’s denim jacket hand embellished with velvet, lace and other patches worn by Dylan in the 1987 film Hearts Of Fire sold for $25,400 (£20,857).

An oil painting made and signed by Dylan in 1968 also sold for £213,499
An oil painting made and signed by Dylan in 1968 also sold for £213,499 (Julien’s Auctions/PA)

In total, the collection of Dylan items brought in almost $1.5 m (£1.2), according to Julien’s Auctions.

Executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, Martin Nolan, described it as “fantastic” with “outstanding sales”.

He added: “We’re honoured to highlight this truly unique collection with so many historic Bob Dylan items from the grandfather of rock journalism, Al Aronowitz.

“Today’s white glove auction just reinforces the extraordinary impact and everlasting love that people have for Dylan, which transcends generations.”

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