Grateful Dead / Steve Miller Blues Band / Moby Grape — “Hippie Santa Claus” Avalon Ballroom Handbill (FD-40)
San Francisco, December 23–24, 1966 — 8½ x 11 inches — CGC 8.5 (Very Fine+)
 
A first-printing example of the celebrated FD-40 Avalon Ballroom handbill, designed by Victor Moscoso for concerts presented by Chet Helms’ Family Dog. The bill features the Grateful Dead, Steve Miller Blues Band, and Moby Grape during a formative moment in the emergence of San Francisco’s psychedelic music scene.
 
Known colloquially as “Hippie Santa Claus,” the design employs a saturated red-and-green palette centered on an irreverent horned Santa figure, reflecting Moscoso’s early exploration of intense color contrast and optical vibration. Issued as part of the influential Family Dog series, the handbill represents a classic example of mid-1960s San Francisco psychedelic graphics.
 
Condition: CGC graded 8.5 (Very Fine+).