CP4.  Fully Signed "The Beatles Show" Program From September 1963

On Wednesday, September 4, 1963, The Beatles launched a four-night run of shows promoted by John Smith, a leading London concert promoter. This wasn't the first series of Beatles gigs Smith had promoted. His first booking with the group had been for a show in Oxford the previous February. He had also booked several dates in support of Brian Epstein's Mersey Beat Showcase starting in Croydon on April 25th of that year. Because several of these Showcase concerts had to be cancelled, Epstein offered Smith this September mini-tour, for which the headlining Beatles earned £250 a night. The shows, compered by Ted King, also featured supporting acts Ian Crawford, Mike Berry, The Fourmost, Rockin' Henri and Patrick Dane's Quiet Five.

The four-night package kicked off on September 4th at the Gaumont Cinema in Worcester, followed the next night by a show at the Gaumont Cinema in Taunton. On the 6th - the third night - they played the Odeon Cinema in Luton before concluding the "tour" on the 7th with
a show at Fairfield Hall in Croydon.

Smith had a special 8-page program printed for this 4-nighter and the one offered here has been signed by all four Beatles on the back cover. This autographed page features four individual Beatle portraits taken in November 1962 by the group's close friend from their Hamburg days, Astrid Kirchherr. Each Beatle has signed beautifully next to his own portrait
in dark blue ballpoint pen. Because these shows took place at a time when fans still had in-person (though increasingly more limited) access to the band, this program was likely signed after one of the four shows on the tour.

The program, which measures 7" x 9-1/2", has been folded vertically down the middle and there is some wear to the top of the front cover. There is also a very light, almost imperceptible horizontal fold on the program. None of these folds affect the cover signatures on the back cover which remain as bold as the day they were signed.

From their fledgling days as The Quarrymen in 1956-57 through the end of August 1966, it was all about touring for The Beatles. Still, Beatles-signed concert programs are very rare indeed and are seldom offered for sale. This is your opportunity to own a gorgeous, authentic example signed during the group's heyday as the most popular act in their native Britain -- just five months before they arrived in America and, in effect, conquered the world…..$22,500

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