Aoxomoxoa Framed First Printing Poster of Grateful Dead Signed by Rick Griffin

Description

About the Poster
Offered here is a framed first printing of the infamous Aoxomoxoa  poster signed by Rick Griffin featuring the Grateful Dead on January 24-26, 1969.
The outside frame measures 26 1/2"x 31 1/2".
The distance within the yellow matting measures 26 1/2" by 31 1/2".
The matting overlaps the poster slightly to hold it in place.
The only flaws that I can see are:
1) horizontal handling mark on the right side about 2/3rds down that runs from the border through the embryonic baby toward underneath the branch on the tree.
2) horizontal handling mark on the left side about 1/3rd down that runs from the border to the "R" in Grateful
3) vertical handling mark above the "L" and "D" in Grateful Dead.
4) vertical handling mark in the lower left portion of the sun. I don't think that this one shows up in the picture.
You can see these first three flaws
with the zoom feature. It is certainly not
nearly
as noticeable and visible without zooming in. With the naked eye, you have to look for them to notice.
This is one of my favorites; as well as the favorite of many.  This framed copy is hanging in my home.
This poster was used to promote a series of shows at the historic Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco (in the post-Family Dog era). These shows were presented by Soundproof Productions, and featured the Grateful Dead, Sons Of Champlin & Initial Shock. Show dates were January 24-26, 1969. This truly iconic psychedelic image was designed by the late Rick Griffin, and is featured in "The Art Of Rock", plate 2.24. It was also used as cover art for the Dead's "AOXOMOXOA" album.
The title of the album is a
palindrome
created by artist
Rick Griffin
and lyricist
Robert Hunter
. According to the audio version of the
Rock Scully
memoir, Living with the Dead (read by the author and former Dead co-manager himself), the title is pronounced "ox-oh-mox-oh-ah". The words "Grateful Dead" on the front of the album, written in large, flowing capital letters, are an
ambigram
that can also be read "We Ate The Acid" by covering the lower two-thirds portion of the name "Grateful Dead" combined with the very top third of the title. The artwork around the bottom edge of the album cover depicts several phallic representations.
Rick Griffin became famous for his psychedelic posters for the Avalon Ballroom and the Fillmore West in San Francisco during the late 60s. Jerry Garcia met him backstage at one of the band’s concerts. The Dead hired Griffin and told him he could design anything he visualized, giving him total artistic freedom. They were confident he’s come up with something they liked based on their love of his posters.
According to Ida Griffin, Rick’s wife “the cover for Aoxomoxoa is a sufer’s paradise of sunshine, blue sky and life growing all around. It was during this time in Rick’s life that our second daughter was born. The cryptic skull and crossbones represented life and death in a circle of the sun, paradise, the Garden of Eden and planet Earth awareness. Rick would say the whole design was ‘tribal’. The lettering was based on an old English style that flowed into liquid edges, through the influence that water and the ocean had on Rick’s life”.
Shipping Info :
To best insure safe shipping I will therefore recommend using USPS Registered Mail or  Fedex/UPS Ground to mail this framed poster.
The shipping cost with insurance and signature confirmation to ship this poster is 0.  Should you want a cheaper alternative and are willing to accept responsibility, please contact me to discuss.
Shipping and handling policy:
Shipping, Insurance and Handling fee via USPS Registered or Fedex/UPS Ground with signature confirmation for framed posters, the cost is 0 and any additional unframed posters will be free of charge.
There will be a surcharge of for shipping flat via Fedex/UPS to Hawaii/Alaska.
If you purchase multiple posters, please wait for the invoice reflecting the shipping discount.
* We are not shipping internationally for this item. We are only able to ship it within the 48 contiguous  United States.
*We do not accept any other form of payment other than PayPal.
** Returns are not accepted for this item unless there has been an error in posting.
Refunds will be accepted at full refund cost if item sold does not match the description above.  Returned item must be in original condition as sent. Reimbursement will be for the cost of the item only.  PayPal is the only payment method.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need to see additional photos of the item and I will respond to the best of my knowledge.
The item(s) are from a smoke-free household.
Pictures are of the actual item being auctioned.