The black obelisk-shaped object that Led Zeppelin featured on the cover and inside sleeve of their seventh album, ‘Presence,’ was intended to represent the force and presence of the group. In 1976 their label Swan Song produced 1,000 replicas of ‘The Object’ to be used as 12” numbered promotional statues. Recently on eBay, #834 went up for auction and sold for $2,000.00.

The base of ‘The Object’ is imprinted on all four sides and the individual numbers were etched on by hand. It was originally shipped in a brown cardboard box, but the seller admits to no longer having the packaging. This one is actually chipped but it didn’t detour interest.

When reviewing the value of ‘The Object’ it’s vital to be cautious of the knock-offs. According to zeppelincollectables, there were many bogus ‘Objects’ produced, many of them stemming from the late-‘70s and early-‘80s. Though some of them are similar in weight you can tell an original by its coat of flat black paint. A repro will be semi-glossy and is more likely to have flaws.

So, two grand for an authentic ‘The Object’ may seem high dollar for a classic rock centerpiece, but consider the likelihood of getting one of these. When a cool item is this limited, those who possess it usually don’t want to give it up. Still, everything has its price and in this case, the value may be determined by the fan that puts the most money down when ‘The Object’ decides to make its ‘presence’ known.