By JOHN DALY
Tom Petty belongings including his beloved 1965 Gibson SG electric guitar, several jackets and his special felt top hat are up for sale at the Heritage Auction website.
The 1965 SG has a cherry finish and is the first guitar to be auctioned since the death of Petty last October.
Petty played the guitar on stage when he and the Heartbreakers were a part of Bob Dylan’s 1987 True Confessions Tour. The guitar has been signed “Tom Petty / ’88” by the music legend in silver paint. It includes an 8″ x 10″ black and white glossy photo of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, with this guitar, on stage together. There’s a note on the verso in black felt pen, in Petty’s own handwriting that reads “This was my SG on Dylan Tour ’87 / Tom Petty“.
The second piece in the lot is one of Petty’s famous hats: A custom-made brown felt hat, size 7 1/4, from Baron California Hats. The hat was worn by Petty on stage, as well as in two Traveling Wilburys music videos, “Handle With Care” and “End of the Line.” It was also worn during a 1989 MTV news segment in which the remaining Wilburys were interviewed on the death of Roy Orbison.
Additional items include a 1963 Gibson Les Paul Junior electric guitar and four jackets worn on stage. The bidding ends July 21.
Sales benefit the Midnight Mission and the Tazzy Rescue Fund.
For more information go to the Heritage Auction website.