The Who poster sells for $46,000

What you are about to read is a prime reason for not throwing anything out.

At an auction of pop artefacts at Christie's of London nearly three months ago, a sheet of paper measuring 50cm by 76cm, creased from folding and torn at the corners where sticking tape had fixed it to a shop window, appeared with a reserve of £600 ($1654).

It was a poster of English rock band The Who, which for its Hawke's Bay owner -- who prefers to remain anonymous -- once hung in a series of flats he had in the 1970s.

Anything linked to the iconic band never failed to draw the attention of dedicated memorabilia collectors.

Bidding ended at £17,000 ($46,870), a world record for a Who poster, and was believed to have been bought by an American collector.

The seller received the news of the sale in an email which simply read: "Great news!"

A Christie's representative rang him at home that night, where he was in a celebratory mood.

"I was pretty relaxed by then," he said.

Although sad to part with a poster that oozed nostalgia, the price softened the blow.

When costs of shipping, insurance, buying space in the catalogue and Christie's' commission were subtracted, he got £14,925 ($41,149). Not bad for a 36-year-old sheet of paper promoting a concert by The Who, The Small Faces and Paul Jones, at Wellington Town Hall on January 31, 1968.

But to Who collectors, the poster advertised more than a concert. It was the last date on what had been a riotous "The Big Show" tour downunder that saw the Who's guitarist Pete Townshend vow never to return to Australia after the the treatment they had received. He relented only a few months ago.

There was also the 21st birthday party for Small Faces singer and guitarist Steve Marriott in Wellington, when Who drummer Keith Moon threw a portable record player given to Marriott by his record company out a window several stories up.

"It was a great concert," the Who fan said. "As it was the last show of the tour, Moon's drumkit and Townshend's guitar received a thorough smashing up at the end."

After the show, the 17-year-old looked for a keepsake. Most of the simple, screen-printed posters had been pasted up, but he saw one in a men's clothes shop window, where he and friends also happened to see Who bass player John Entwistle buying shirts.

"I asked if I could have the poster and they said yeah, help yourself."

It stayed with him for decades until someone told him earlier this year: "It's probably worth something."

The September auction took in £602,538. Other items relating to The Who that sold were a five-piece drum kit made for Moon (£120,000) and an electric guitar used by Townshend during the Who's 1973 UK tour (£85,000).

- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY