Led Zeppelin's original debut album artwork heads to auction, estimated to fetch between $20,000 to $30,000

The original artwork of popular English rock band Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album is up for auction.

The biding, being hosted by the Christie’s auction house, starts on 2 June and closes on 18 June, reported Rolling Stone.

The cover, which was designed by George Hardie and based on photographer Sam Shere’s famous 1937 picture of the Hindenburg disaster, is estimated to bring in between USD 20,000 and USD 30,000.

“The historical significance of this album cover cannot be understated. It marked a major turning point in the history of pop music, heralded by the debut of Led Zeppelin.

It was louder, bolder than what had come before and would come to define the shape of hard rock for generations.

This simple rendering of the Hindenburg exploding over Lakehurst stands as a monument to that important historical moment. And the image has endured in a way that most other album covers have not it very much has taken on a life of its own”, said Christie’s senior specialist of Books and Manuscripts, Peter Klarnet.

As part of the London-based design group Hipgnosis, Hardie would go on to design album covers for bands like Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath and Wings.