Rare Biggie And Tupac Artifacts To Go Up For Sale At First-Ever Hip-Hop Auction
The internationally-renowned auction house Sotheby’s will hold its first-ever auction entirely dedicated to hip-hop in New York on September 15.
Most notably, bidders will have the chance to get their hands on rare artifacts from two of rap’s most revered icons. Biggie Smalls’ iconic “King of New York”crown and 22 of Tupac’s love letters.
Bigg famously wore the now-legendary crown during a 1997 photo session just three days before he was tragically killed in Los Angeles. The crown was recently showcased in the exhibition “Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop” curated by Vikki Tobak, and the late rapper’s signature is inscribed on its inside.
People will also get to bid on a collection of more than 22 autographed love letters written by ‘Pac during his high school years between 1987 to 1988 to a high school sweetheart. The crown is going for $200,000 to $300,000 while Pac's letters are $60,000 to $80,000.
Overall, the auction will feature contemporary art, photographs, apparel, and other rare ephemera from the late 1970s through the “Golden Age” of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Queens Public Library Foundation, to support its hip-hop programs as well as Building Beats, a non-profit community organization that teaches tech, entrepreneurial and leadership skills to underserved youth through DJ and music programs.
The xhibition for the auction will be open to the public at Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries from September 11 until the 15th, although people will have to schedule an appointment due to the coronavirus. The exhibition will also be available to the public to view on Sotheby’s website.
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