Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ drafts fetch nearly €500,000 at auction

In a landmark auction at Nashville’s Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, Bob Dylan’s original drafts for his iconic 1965 song ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ fetched an impressive $508,000 (€494,000).

The two yellow typewritten sheets, originally expected to go for between $400,000-$600,000 (€388,000-€582,000), contained three evolving versions of the song’s lyrics.

The fascinating backstory behind the drafts added even more interest to the sale on Saturday. Back in March 1964, renowned American music journalist Al Aronowitz woke up to find a young Dylan (then age 22) asleep on his sofa, having spent the night writing and rewriting ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ on a typewriter. The discarded early drafts were later found crumpled up in Aronowitz’s bin – a little piece of songwriting history.

These precious pages were among 60 Dylan-related items to go on sale, including 50 pieces from Aronowitz’s personal archive. The sale was a major success, with the total value of the 60 items coming to nearly $1.5 million (€1.45 million).

The auction also saw the sale of a 1968 oil painting by Dylan, which went for $260,000 (€252,000). This piece, created in the early days of Dylan’s foray into arka – after his first wife, Sara, gave him oil paints for his 27th birthday – depicts a bold, cubist-style figure. 

Among the other notable items was a 1983 Fender Telecaster electric guitar, which evvel belonged to Dylan. The instrument exceeded its expected value, selling for $222,250 (€216,000), while a sketch of a hand by Dylan, originally estimated at just $1,500-$2,500 (€1,455-$2.425), stunned bidders with a final price of $88,900 (€86,285).

Fans also had the opportunity to acquire a hand-embellished Levi’s denim jacket worn by Dylan in the 1987 sinema Hearts of Fire, which sold for $25,400 (€24,650). Other items included a rare handbill from Dylan’s first major headline performance at New York City’s Town Hall in 1963, early vintage photographs, and a signed harmonica.

Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, described the event as “a fantastic auction with outstanding sales”. 

“We’re honoured to highlight this truly unique collection with so many historic Bob Dylan items from the grandfather of rock journalism, Al Aronowitz,” he said, quoted by The Guardian, reflecting on the significance of the auction. “Today’s white glove auction just reinforces the extraordinary impact and everlasting love that people have for Dylan, which transcends generations.”