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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Two sheets of Bob Dylan’s early typewritten drafts for “Mr. Tambourine Man” sold for $508,000 at Julien’s Auctions in Nashville on January 18, 2025. The pages were not the finished lyrics: they preserve three stages of revision, and the familiar story that Dylan threw them away comes from journalist Al Aronowitz’s recollection, not a fully documented public chain of custody.
What sold—and what the pages show
The auction lot was an original manuscript of draft lyrics, typed on two yellow sheets. The pages contain three drafts of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” with an annotation on the third. According to the Associated Press, Julien’s Auctions said that third draft still differed significantly from the lyrics ultimately released.
That distinction matters: the sale was for working pages that reveal revision, not a finished or definitive lyric sheet. The song later appeared as the lead track on the acoustic side of Dylan’s 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home, as AP reported.
Why the pages were said to have been thrown away
The discarded-pages story is tied to Al Aronowitz, the journalist who hosted Dylan at his New Jersey home. AP reported that Julien’s connected the manuscript’s origin to Aronowitz’s account in a 1973 newspaper article. The Guardian described Aronowitz’s recollection that, after Dylan spent the night writing and rewriting on a typewriter, Aronowitz found crumpled drafts in his wastebasket.
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That is an attributed anecdote, not proof of every step in the pages’ ownership history. The public reporting does not establish a complete chain of custody, so it is more accurate to say the auction house, citing Aronowitz, traced the pages to drafts Dylan had left behind than to present the disposal story as independently verified fact.
The $508,000 auction result
Julien’s sold the lyrics for $508,000 at its “Celebrating Bob Dylan: The Aronowitz Archive & More” auction at Nashville’s Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum on January 18, 2025. The Guardian reported a presale estimate of $400,000–$600,000. The realized price was therefore within that estimate.
Rank #2
Julien’s said the 60-item sale generated nearly $1.5 million overall, and that 50 of the items came from Aronowitz’s personal archive. Those totals describe this auction; the result for one manuscript does not, on its own, establish a general trend in prices for Dylan manuscripts or music memorabilia.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the lot fits the Aronowitz archive sale
The auction brought together material associated with Dylan and Aronowitz, a journalist whose archive also reflected his connections to other musicians and cultural figures. Julien’s reported that a signed 1968 Dylan oil painting sold for $260,000 and a Dylan-owned and played 1983 Fender Telecaster sold for $222,250. AP rounded the guitar result to $225,000 in its initial report, so the precise figure depends on the report cited.
Rank #3
- Melody/Lyrics/Guitar Chords
- Pages: 146
- Instrumentation: Guitar
The auction house’s executive director and co-founder, Martin Nolan, called it “a fantastic auction with outstanding sales.” Myles Aronowitz described the items as evidence of the intimate place his father held in musical and cultural history. These are the auction house’s characterizations; the independently useful facts for this lot remain its draft status, reported provenance, and $508,000 sale price.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Melody/Lyrics/Chords
- Pages: 148
- Instrumentation: Banjo
- Instrumentation: Guitar
- Instrumentation: Mandolin
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