PROUDLY PRESENTS “KISS My Auction” You want the rarest, we’ve got the rarest… AUCTION DATES: December 4 – 11, 2005 SPECIAL PREVIEW: November 27 – December 4, 2005 On behalf of the entire Backstage Auctions Crew we would like to welcome you to the spectacular and much anticipated 2005 “KISS My Auction” event and a special welcome to the many, many new users who have registered to be a part of this “KISStorical” auction and to our loyal returning KISS customers. KISS remains one of the premier bands in the history of Rock ‘n Roll. Record holders in many categories and high rankings in most others, KISS continues to add new fans and collectors to the ever growing legion of the KISS Army. In their more than 3 decades of existence, the band has produced more memorabilia than just about anybody else. Only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have topped KISS and there is no shame in having these legends as neighbors. With such a well-documented past, discography and hundreds of publications and price guides, new discoveries and never-before-seen items are the exception, rather than the rule. And that is where Backstage Auctions comes into play. True to our philosophy of only offering items from either musicians or those professionally associated with the music industry, we have managed to bring together a group of 16 consigners who were all at one point in time formally associated with KISS. As such, Backstage Auctions is proud to present 351 auction lots that will dazzle, rattle, awe, amaze and rock and roll your imagination. Have fun browsing, enjoy the collection and be sure not to miss out on owning an authentic piece of Rock history. Be part of an exclusive group that will carry on the rich history behind KISS! Good Luck & Rock On! Kelli & Jacques van Gool Backstage Auctions, Inc. SPECIAL THANKS Our special thanks first and foremost go out to our wonderful consigners who so graciously opened their vaults and decided to share their past with the world. We are proud to represent all of them and truly honored to be given the opportunity to host this auction. Equal appreciation goes out to the growing number of radio stations, websites and magazines who have supported us in the past and continue to do so. We are thankful beyond words that you share our vision of preserving Rock ‘n Roll history by exclusively representing the authentic sources and bringing back the trust and confidence in the collector’s world. Particular to this auction we would like to thank the many KISS websites who assisted us in spreading the word; Joop van Pelt (KISS Kollector), Julian Gill (KISS F.A.Q.), Gerhard Wimmer (KISS Fan Shop), KISS ASYLUM, LF Japan and so many other fansites. The list of names is long but to all, a HUGE “Thank You”. And last but certainly not least, Curt Gooch and Ros Radley, who both dedicated many hours in making this a truly “KISStorical” auction in every way. You guys ROCK! ITEMS OF INTEREST We understand that you are eager to “jump in” and start browsing the auction. Before doing so, please familiarize yourself with our auction rules and policies found on our website under the Resources tab. This section details the "mechanics" of how our auctions operate, i.e. shipping, buyers premium and payment options and should answer most of the questions that you might have. That said; here are a few notable points for the auction: If you are not already registered, please sign up early (to get that part of the administration out of the way). Once you have completed the registration you will receive a password via email in order for you to "log in" for the first time. If you do not receive your Registration Confirmation Email, first check your "Junk or Spam Folder" and if you still didn't receive it, please contact us and one of our staff members will be happy to assist you. The auction PREVIEW starts November 27, 2005 and will run for one week. You will be able to view each auction lot; complete with photos and descriptions. No bids will be accepted during the preview. The text catalog is an excellent auction tool to assist you locating items of interest online. The catalog lists the Lot Number, Lot Title, and Type of Item Category, all of which can be extremely helpful when navigating through the auction. We also recommend utilizing the AUCTION SEARCH function which can be found on the right hand side of each auction page. The AUCTION SEARCH function will help you find pieces using a specific LOT NUMBER or key word. The BIDDING starts December 4, 2005 at 3 PM EST and will end one week later. On Sunday, December 11 at 3 PM EST (the official auction end time) our system will begin a 15 minute auction close countdown. What this means is that the auction will REMAIN OPEN (even after the official end time) for periods of 15 minutes until such time that no additional online, phone or fax bids are placed on any single item. PLEASE NOTE: Our auctions will typically continue past the close time for several hours. Take advantage of placing your maximum bids on the items you are interested in and keep an eye on those items as the auction begins to close. For more information please see our Auction Rules located in the "Resources" tab on our site. Once the auction closes, you will no longer be able to view the items. You will receive an email notifying you of the items you have won. Within 48 hours, all winning bidders will receive a complete invoice which includes shipping fees and payment options. Please do not contact us immediately after the auction with invoice or shipping requests, we will be working hard to process all the final invoices. Please note that we do not accept credit cards, personal checks or Paypal. Furthermore, a 7.5% buyer’s premium is applicable to all items bought in the auction. Shipping in the US is exclusively through FedEx. Overseas shipping is USPS Global Express Mail, unless other arrangements are made. See Auction Rules for additional shipping information. All photos and scans are made by Backstage Auctions, Inc. and are from the actual pieces in the auction. Not one single image has been used from a different source. Furthermore, we have watermarked all our images to protect these images. As always, we aim to be as precise and complete as possible with our descriptions. That said, human error is always a possibility and we encourage you to ask questions and make inquiries on any piece that you are interested in prior to placing your bid. All auction descriptions ARE QUALIFIED STATEMENTS OF OPINION AND NOT REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES. All items will come with a signed certificate from the original owner. Last - but certainly not least - have FUN!!! This is going to be a memorable auction and we expect much traffic and heavy bidding. At times, the site might slow down a little bit but fear not; the auction will go on as long as bids are placed. THE KISS CONSIGNERS Backstage Auctions exclusively represents musicians or those professionally associated with the music business. Because we want to offer nothing short of authentic and original items, we have pulled together a highly impressive group of individuals who all – in one capacity or another – were involved with KISS. The following people have made this auction memorable by opening their vaults. • Waring Abbott: One of the music industry’s premier photographers and known for his work with Led Zeppelin, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. KISS fans mostly know his work from Central Park, NYC (1974) and Cadillac, MI (1975). Abbott released one of the better KISS photo books “KISS, The Early Years” in 2002. (http://www.waringabbott.com). • Ken Anderson: VP of Production, Aucoin management 1976 – 1982. Anderson was responsible for assuring that all creative and theatrical ideas with respect to special effects, stage & lighting and merchandise came to fruition. • Eddie Balandas: KISS Security Manager 1976 – 1980 and in particular bodyguard to Gene Simmons (and later on Diana Ross). Prior to KISS, Balandas was road manager for Sha Na Na. • Bill Bartell: Writer, producer and musician with such acts as Blondie, Go-Go’s, The Bangles and others. Worked with Ace Frehley on the “Light Years” project and will soon be featured in the next issue of the official KISS magazine in an article about KISS’ Magic Mountain performance. • Mark Brotter: Joined the KISS organization in 1979 as assistant to Richard Truxall, who ran the KISS Army/ Boutwell Niocua Merchandising operations. After the closing of Boutwell, Brotter moved over to the executive division of Aucoin Management where he worked in the capacity of Office Manager – and later Radio Promotions Coordinator - though 1982. • Lydia Criss: Former wife of Peter Criss (1970 – 1979), consigned the majority of her collection to Backstage Auctions last year in a highly successful auction but has contributed a few more items exclusively for this auction. Lydia is currently working at the release of her long anticipated book “Sealed with a KISS” (www.lydiacriss.com). • Michael Doret: Established letterform and graphic design artist for over 30 years with focus on music, sports, arts & entertainment. Known for his design of the original artwork for “Rock and Roll Over”. (http://www.michaeldoret.com). • Richie Fontana: Professional musician who played in bands such as Piper (Billy Squier) and the Skatt Brothers (with Sean Delaney). Richie played most of the drum parts on Paul Stanley’s solo album and recently released a solo album “Steady on the Steel”.