Music memorabilia brings the sweet sound of sales

Laurence Carpenter buys and sells items around the world

Laurence Carpenter of Pop Icons with some of his high-end music memorabilia, including David Bowie’s zoot suit, a Nicki Minaj stage-worn graffiti jacket, an Eric Clapton-owned Taylor guitar and Hozier’s signed personal electric guitar Pic: Fergal Phillips

Collecting runs in the blood for Laurence Carpenter, the owner of Dublin-based music memorabilia company Pop Icons. “My father used to collect Star Wars toys. My sister also collected a lot of TV memorabilia and my uncle was an antiques dealer. He would buy and sell items at car boot sales,” he said.

His own interest in music memorabilia emerged in the 1990s when he was in his early 20s and a fan ...