Fillmore Auditorium ,Winterland 2/1 & 4/68

Designed by Rick Griffin for a series of February 1968 shows by Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, and John Mayall, the BG-105 “Flying Eyeball” is perhaps the most iconic and recognizable poster of the 1960s. Because of the popularity of this image, most of the original posters were extensively displayed “back in the day” and many have serious wear and damage.

The original poster was printed on uncoated index stock and measures approximately 14″ x 21 3/8″. The number “105” is placed so that the “0” is overprinted by the “i” in “Tickets.”

The second print poster was printed on slick, glossy-coated stock and measures approximately 14″ x 21⅝″. The number “105” is placed so that the “5” is overprinted by the first “T” in “Tickets.”

A decent forgery of this poster exists and is often seen on Ebay. This forgery is printed on glossy stock that is similar to the legitimate second print. There are several differences between the two, however. The most obvious are the lack of detail and the dullness of the colors. The area of the flames at three o’clock has extensive dot screening on the second print. On this forgery, the orange and yellow are flat-colored and have no dot screen. In addition, there are some noticeable fingerprints on the left and right edges towards the bottom that do not appear on the second print.

There is also a hand-printed silkscreen of this image that was authorized and produced in the late 1980s. This printing is more than twice as large as the original poster and is quite impressive. This silkscreen-or serigraph-comes in three versions: a signed, limited edition of 500, an unknown quantity of Artist’s Proofs, and an unknown quantity of Printer’s Proofs. The edition of 500 measures approximately 28⅞" x 40⅞", while the Artist Proofs measure 28⅞" x 44⅞".

Last, in 1993, there was another reprint on glossy stock that measures approximately 13″ x 19″. A white balloon was added in the lower right corner that contains the word “The Fillmore Poster Ties.”

The postcard has a “place stamp here” reverse and measures approximately 4″ x 7″.

A double postcard was also printed that bears the images of both BG-105 and 106 and measures approximately 4″ x 14″. This card has a bulk rate permit on the back. In addition, some copies were addressed and mailed to people on the mailing list.