Multimillion Dollar Auction of KISS Rock Band Costumes, Instruments and Memorabilia
From: Puppyo@aol.com
Auction Will Feature the Appearance of KISS Founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and Utilize Internet Bidding In Addition to Traditional Floor Bidding. Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMAI), Butterfields Auctioneers, an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY), KISS Catalog, Ltd., and the leaders of the rock band KISS, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, jointly announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement to sell at auction substantially all of the instruments, costumes, memorabilia and similar items used by the KISS band since its founding in 1974. The estimated value of the auction offerings and special autographed auction memorabilia memorializing the event is over $5 million. The offerings, comprising thousands of items, will be presented in one or more auctions at a site to be determined. Band leaders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will personally appear at the "live" event auction, which will also feature Internet bidding and electronic auction catalogs that will open the auction to KISS fans and collectors throughout the world.

The rock band KISS is believed by many to be among the most influential bands in history, and ranks second only to The Beatles in the number of gold records for a musical group 75 million records. Known for its fiercely loyal and extraordinarily devoted fans, called the "KISS Army," the group rocketed to super stardom based upon its live concerts, which featured extravagant wardrobes, face paint and wild stage shows. As a result, the group's concert wardrobes and other concert memorabilia - the items to be offered in the auctions are especially treasured by fans and rock 'n roll memorabilia collectors. KISS' hit albums include Alive! and Destroyer. Singles sensations include "Beth", "Detroit Rock City" and "Love Gun." Featured items to be offered during the auction include the KISS Alive! tour costumes worn on stage by band leaders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley during the band's famous 1975 - 1976 Alive! tour, KISS concert worn costumes appearing in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art Rock Style exhibit, Gene Simmons' life mask, made by movie special effects great Rick Baker for the "Rock Against Drugs" video (1990), several guitars, drum kits and other instruments and gear used by the band's members on-stage during concerts and in the recording studio, and several handwritten original lyrics as well as lyric and composition books, including Gene Simmons' original, handwritten lyrics to the hit songs "Rock N' Roll All Nite", "Christine Sixteen", and "Calling Doctor Love".

Patrick Meade, president of Butterfields, one of the auction's co-sponsors, said, "KISS is not just a hit rock group - they're a phenomenon. While that alone should make this a great auction, what is unique about KISS is their costumes and stage shows. The group is renowned for the very items that we'll be presenting in our auction."

He continued, "In addition to great music and stage shows, KISS and the KISS Army pioneered the use of technology and the Internet to foster a worldwide community of loyal fans numbering in the millions. The band created an "official" KISS web site, and their fans created numerous unofficial sites. We intend to reach out to these fans with both traditional and Internet marketing, and to make this auction an Internet event in addition to a rock auction event."

Greg Manning, Chairman and CEO of Greg Manning Auctions, Inc., the auction's other co-sponsor, said, "What is most impressive about KISS is their global popularity and extraordinary duration. KISS' 1976 tour of Japan, for example, broke the attendance records previously held by The Beatles. Two decades later their 1996 tour was the No. 1 grossing tour. At Greg Manning Auctions, we are pursuing a global Internet strategy and are developing web sites in Asia and Europe in addition to the U.S. This will be a great auction for us because the KISS offerings will be attractive not only to our U.S. customers, but to our worldwide clientele, and will highlight our advanced E-commerce capabilities."

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