Beatles memorabilia including rare artifacts dating back to start of the Fab Four’s storied musical career will go under the hammer next month, Julien’s Auctions announced Friday.
Scheduled to take place on April 10 — 50 years to the day since Paul McCartney quit the Beatles and the band dissolved — the auction is slated to feature nearly 300 instruments, autographed items and other collectables relating to the legendary rock and roll group.
And if estimated selling prices prove to be accurate, Baby, You’re a Rich Man if you can afford to purchase some of the rarer Beatles relics set to hit the auction block soon.
Items up for grabs as part of the auction include an autographed baseball signed by all four members of the Beatles following the group’s final U.S. concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park in 1966 and the handwritten lyric sheet Mr. McCartney used in the studio while recording “Hey Jude” in 1968. Juliens estimates they will fetch bids as high as $100,000 and $180,000, respectively.
Beatles fans hoping to bid on a more antiquated piece of music history are in luck as well. Also being auctioned off is the original stage that hosted the band’s first ever performance back in May 1960, before they were known as the Beatles and more than two years before drummer Ringo Starr joined the band.
Originally found at Lathom Hall, a venue built in 1884 in the band’s hometown of Liverpool, England, the stage’s wooden planks have remained untouched and are being auctioned off with the Victorian-era nails that once anchored it to the floor, according to Juliens. It is expected to sell for between $10,000-$20,000.
“This stage of the Fab Four’s first performance is not only one of the most extraordinary artifacts ever to come to market from Beatles history, but all of music history,” said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions. “We’re thrilled to offer this remarkable and unique piece that set the stage for the auspicious start of the greatest Rock ’N’ Roll band of all time as well as these other incredible and significant items that celebrate the magic of Beatlemania.”
Additional items set to be auctioned off include a pair of wide-cut corduroy trousers previously worn by late co-founder John Lennon and a standing brass ashtray used by Starr, born Richard Starkey. Each item is expected to sell for several thousand dollars, according to Juliens.
The auction is set to be held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City’s Times Square and online though the Juliens website precisely a half-century since Mr. McCartney, 77, issued a press release announcing his exit from the Beatles, effectively bringing the band to an end. Lennon was killed by an assassin’s bullet 10 years later.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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