Rare original Joy Division poster is for sale for almost £6,000

By Tom Avery

16th Mar 2021 | Local News

A sought-after poster featuring the Macclesfield band Joy Division has been put up for sale for almost £6000.

This vintage item from the 1970s is being sold for £5,141.

The FAC 1 poster, which is 40 x 30 inches, is listed by Etsy user RockPosterTreasures.

While formed in Salford, the post-punk outfit was fronted by King's School graduate Ian Curtis.

Their drummer Stephen Morris was born in Macclesfield.

The original print, which was designed by Peter Saville in spring 1979, is notorious in poster collecting circles for featuring a spelling error.

The FAC 1 listing reads: "Here is one mega scarce poster which is 100% original, you will notice how one of the l's is missing on the word Russell, which was quite often the case with Factory's posters."

Vintage music poster collector Ash Lockhart, 62, has flogged almost 450 vintage posters worth up to thousands of pounds.

The Australian merchandise seller said: "I bought it along with many other Joy Division posters from a collector in the 1990s. I own only one, and it is very rare to find.

"I've been a fan of Joy Division since I was a teenager. When I first heard Unknown Pleasures, I was amazed.

"The appreciation for the poster art in the 1970s was much different to today, it was a key part of a band's image to have great art.

"Even today, I believe it is far better to buy a poster that has a memory for you than Ikea furniture. Walls should not be left beige; they should show who you are."

Unlike reprints, this poster is screen printed. This means it was filled in with ink and pressed by hand, over 43 years ago.

The poster infamously arrived late for the opening of The Factory at the Russell Club.

Manchester music mogul Tony Wilson would sign Joy Division to the then newly-founded indie label Factory Records in 1978.

The poster has quadrupled its value in recent years. According to unofficial website factoryrecords.org, a FAC 1 was sold on eBay in January 2003 for just £1500.

The product does not come with a certificate of authenticity. It is one of just 300 original issue FAC 1's to exist.

The most recent copy sold was by Joy Division bassist Peter Hook, who sold it in an auction bundle for £9000 in 2019.

Following the suicide of Ian Curtis at his Macclesfield home, Factory Records would sign the remaining members of the band as New Order, the band to succeed Joy Division.

New Order then recruited keyboardist and guitarist Gillian Gilbert, who also grew up in Macclesfield. Gilbert married their drummer Stephen Morris in 1993, and the couple currently live in Rainow.

The poster can be purchased here.

     

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