Peter Ellis - Memorabilia Man

One of the best things about being a rock fan is meeting fellow enthusiasts. And they don’t come more enthusiastic than Peter Ellis…

Peter, an avid reader of Prog magazine, not to mention staunch supporter of the Progressive Music Awards (Peter presented Uriah Heep’s Mick Box with the Outer Limits Award at this year’s ceremony), walks it like he talks it when it comes to his passion for rock music. He might be the founder of the UK’s first currency exchange specialist, but cut Peter and he bleeds rock and roll. We were fortunate enough for Peter to invite us round to his Hertfordshire home to have a look through his extensive collection of rock memorabilia, and as you will see from the gallery below, Peter’s amassed an impressive array…

From rare Beatles posters, tickets and magazines to an array of signed Pink Floyd material, including Syd’s autograph and a very rare vinyl copy of The Wall signed by all involved, Peter’s collection is the stuff of dreams. There’s JimI Hendrix’s autograph (just read the accompanying letter of authenticity revealing Scott Walker to be “miserable”), Phil Lynott’s old membership card to the Speakeasy Club, the original copy of Oz magazine that brought about the legendary obscenity trial in 1971 and intriguingly, a framed collection of Alice In Wonderland acid blotter tabs, signed by Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane. With rooms full of signed discs and classic rock posters over the years (look out for the framed photos and signatures of Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman and Jon Lord), Peter’s collection truly is the stuff of dreams. And of course, in the photo below, Peter and his pal ‘Corporal Clegg’, standing guard over everything in the field at the front of Peter’s house. To say we’re a bit jealous is something of an understatement…

Jerry Ewing

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.