Beatles Autographs
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SI5. A GEORGE HARRISON HANDWRITTEN LETTER TO A FAN, AUGUST 1963
From August 19 through August 24, 1963, The Beatles played a series of
shows at the Gaumont Theater in Bournemouth on the southern coast of England.
During their extended stay in this seaside resort town, the band took up
residence at the very posh and very exclusive Palace Court Hotel. While there,
photographer Robert Freeman took the cover shot that would be featured on the
front of the band’s second album, “With The Beatles”, which was released
a few months later. Between gigs, they took time out to answer some of their
fan mail. George also wrote his first song which appeared on a Beatles album,
“Don’t Bother Me”, while sick in bed at the Palace Court Hotel during
this time in Bournemouth.
This 2-page letter, handwritten by George Harrison “To Boote” on Palace
Court stationery, is filled with interesting references. His opening line
mentions the chart-topping “She Loves You” which he urges the fan to buy
(it was released on August 23rd, one day before they left Bournemouth). It would
instantly hit number one, and went on to become the best selling Beatles single
in ever the U.K. He follows this with a reference to ‘jelly babies’, the soft
British confection he had recently told the press was their favorite candy.
After his comment was published, British fans inundated the group with boxes of
jelly babies. In this letter, Harrison denies their affection for jelly babies,
stating that no one in the band likes them and that the press made it up. (His
published comment would have further repercussions a few months later when
American concertgoers showered the band with thousands of jelly babies, a much
harder candy The Beatles disdained because of the pain they inflicted when they
were hit by them on stage.) Harrison then makes a reference to the band’s
ever-growing presence in London as their recording career progressed, a move
which upset their original Liverpool fans and, as they earned international
acclaim, proved to be permanent.
Harrison additionally comments on the frenzied audiences at Beatles shows,
stating that “we don’t mind girls screaming in the noisy numbers, but I think
we would prefer them to be a little quieter in the slow songs.” He also
alludes to what was obviously a question about their forthcoming shows, telling
the fan that there are no scheduled appearances at the Gaumont State Theater in
London’s Kilburn High Road, but that they will be playing London’s Royal Albert
Hall. (This was the ‘Great Pop Prom’ show held on September 15, 1963. The
Beatles topped the bill, sharing the program with eleven other acts, including a
new up-and-coming band called The Rolling Stones.) Harrison signs off with a
full signature which is extraordinary and as nice as he could have signed on
that day, followed by three kisses (“XXX”).
The letter is written in blue ballpoint pen. The two pages each measure 5” x 8”,
have three mailing fold lines and are in very good condition overall. Letters
written by members of The Beatles to their fans are quite scarce. While they
would reply to fan letters early in their career, the practice would stop
altogether by the end of 1963 and into 1964 as they became international stars
and virtually untouchable — and unreachable…..$7,500
SI2. The Signatures Of John Lennon & Paul McCartney
This piece of thin cardboard, which measures 5 ½” x 5 ½”, has been signed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Both have signed beautifully in blue ballpoint pen, with each adding “love from” before and “XXX” after their respective signatures. This pairing of autographs dates from the fall of 1962 and each signature is an excellent example from that time period. The autographs have been very tastefully framed with a high-quality Albert Marrion photograph of John and Paul in their leather suits, taken during a photo session at his studios on December 17, 1961. It is very uncommon to find pieces signed only by The Beatles’ two lead singers and composers, who are arguably the greatest songwriting duo of all time…..$6,000
SI4.
A Letter Written By John
Lennon To A Fan In Early 1963
This letter was fully handwritten by John Lennon in black fountain pen on a sheet of stationary paper which measures 8” x 10”. He starts off by writing his return address in the upper right hand corner: “251 MENLOVE AVE WOOLTON LIVERPOOL 25 LANCS” (Lancashire). This, of course, is "Mendips", the childhood home where he lived with his Aunt Mimi from 1945 until 1963, when The Beatles' growing fame necessitated a move to London.
The letter reads:
“Dear Dawn,
Thanks for your letter,
glad you liked the show.
For fan-club information,
I can’t tell you about opening a
Stoke-on-Trent branch but I suggest
you get in touch with the Northern
Branch here in Liverpool and they can
let you know all about it. The address is
NEMS 12-14 Whitechapel
Liverpool 1.
Lancs.
Thanks again – hope to be
in Hanley again soon.
Cherrio (sp)
love
John
Lennon
X"
Hanley was one of six towns that comprised Stoke-on-Trent and The Beatles played there only twice in their career -- on March 3, 1963 (the final night of the Helen Shapiro tour, during which The Beatles were an opening act for a 16 year old girl) and again on May 19, 1963 (the second night of their tour with Roy Orbison).
This letter, in response to one the fan had written to John following the March show in Hanley, as the signature dates from early March of 1963. (By May, just two months later, characteristics within John’s signature had changed noticeably). On March 5th, just two days after that first Hanley gig, the band recorded their third single "From Me To You/Thank You Girl" and on March 22nd, their first LP "Please Please Me" was released. By the time they returned to Hanley with Orbison in May, The Beatles were so enormously popular that they would soon grab the spotlight from the American headliner, taking top billing on the tour. They had already come a long way in just two months.
This letter represents one of the very few times that Lennon personally answered fan mail with a handwritten letter and it is certainly one of the last times he ever wrote to anyone from "Mendips" before his move to London. Once he took up residence in the city, the demands on his time grew exponentially and he rarely had the time for long personal replies like this one.
The charm of this letter lies not only in the fact that it was written from his childhood home, but that he takes the time to personally direct a fan to the proper source for Beatles fan club information. Naturally he provides her with the address for Brian Epstein's NEMS store on Whitechapel Street in Liverpool, which at the time was the "Eppy-center" of the Beatle universe! Shortly thereafter, The Official Beatles Fan Club would be located on Monmouth Street in London.
The letter is in very good condition, with non detracting mailing fold marks, tape residue at top left and a small tear to the right of this residue.
Letters handwritten by John Lennon are extremely desirable and few are offered for sale in any given year. This is a truly rare opportunity to own a letter written by John just prior to The Beatles' quick astronomical rise to an unprecedented level of fame, which began right after this letter was written, following the release of their first LP record “Please Please Me”…..$19,500
SI1. A Fan Magazine Signed By The Beatles Before Their
Historic Shea Stadium Concert
On August 15, 1965, The Beatles made rock ‘n roll history when they performed at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, New York before a crowd of more than 55,000 frenetic fans. It shattered all previous attendance records for a concert and was the very first time a band had performed in a stadium. The event was well-documented, having been filmed in its entirety. The now-legendary concert film included not only the entire show, but several segments that preceded their appearance on the stage, which was located directly over 2nd base. The Beatles flew by helicopter onto the roof of the World’s Fair Building, located on the grounds of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. From there, they were transported by Wells Fargo armored truck # 1040 into Shea Stadium, a distance of just over 100 yards. Each member of the band was given a Wells Fargo agent badge, which they later pinned to their stage jackets and wore throughout the entire show. The driver of the truck that day was Mr. John Lee, a Wells Fargo employee who had an eight year old daughter named Joann. Mr. Lee had known in advance what his assignment would be that day, so he took along one of his daughter’s Beatles fan magazines with the idea of getting the group to sign it. When he returned home that night, he presented Joann with the magazine, signed for her by all four Beatles!
Here is that fanzine, signed by the band just moments before they were to perform what is widely considered to be not only their most memorable concert ever, but arguably the single most famous concert of the past fifty years. All four have signed the front cover of the book very nicely in blue ballpoint pen. George Harrison has signed directly over his face, Ringo Starr has signed just under his chin, John Lennon has signed in his hair and Paul McCartney has signed just under the word ‘BEATLES’. Being a dark cover, the contrast is not ideal, but the signatures do show up well despite the fact that some are in dark areas. The book measures 8” x 10”, and is in very good condition overall.
This item comes with a signed letter from Joann Lee which recounts the circumstances surrounding the signing of her magazine. The event was written up in the September-October 1965 issue of the American Express magazine ‘Going Places’. This prize has been in Joann’s possession since 1965 and was only recently sold by her. Very few items were signed by The Beatles on this historic day - in fact less than five have surfaced to date. Here is one of those rarities, and yet another exceptional item being offered by Beatles Autographs with excellent, verifiable provenance…..$19,500
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SI3. THE BEATLES 1961 HAMBLETON HALL PAY RECEIPT BOOKS
There was a time when The Beatles earned just a few pounds a night and the venues were so rough, survival skills were as important as playing ability. In 1961, few places were as violent as Hambleton Hall in suburban Liverpool. Fights would routinely break out as groups of ‘teddy boys’ (roughnecks) settled their differences with chains, chairs, broken bottles, fists and fire extinguishers -- all while the band played on stage just a few feet away. But, for all its violence, this dingy dive was also an essential proving ground for every emerging Mersey band.
Beginning on January 25, 1961, The Beatles played a total of sixteen times at Hambleton Hall. By the time they played there for the last time - on January 13, 1962 - they had been discovered by Brian Epstein. Their new manager made it clear to them that this was not the type of place he wanted them to play.
Here are three of the earliest Beatles signed documents in existence: original 1961 pay receipt books used for three The Beatles gigs at Hambleton Hall in Fincham, Huyton on the outskirts of Liverpool !
After a wild, raucous evening of playing, it was customary for one designated member of the band to go into Hambleton Hall's makeshift business office to collect the band's pay for the night. The others would spend that time loading out their equipment. Vic Anton filled out each receipt page and, once it was signed by the band member, he would then pay the group's fee in cash.
Three of the pages in these books have been signed by members of The Beatles; John Lennon (as "J.W. Lennon") and Paul McCartney (as "J.P. McCartney") signed receipts for pay inside the larger of the books and George Harrison signed for their money in the smaller book.
The first appearance of a Beatles signature is on the receipt for Wednesday night, February 22, 1961, the band’s fifth appearance there. John Lennon signed for their pay of 10 pounds. Earlier that day, the group had played the Aintree Institute where they had received 7 pounds, two shillings. On the bill with The Beatles that night were Faron and The Tempest Tornadoes and Rory Storm and The Hurricanes (with Ringo on drums). The hall’s penchant for violence is evident in the fact that more than half of the receipts in each book were made out to bouncers and doormen. In some cases, several bouncers were required in one night. Eight bouncers were paid that evening, indicating a particularly rough night at the hall. As paltry as it may seem, a night’s pay of eight pounds or more for the band was actually quite good in 1961. This amount was split among all members, with Neil Aspinall usually receiving one pound for transporting their equipment to and from the gig having just been hired as their roadie.
On Monday evening, March 20, 1961, Paul McCartney (age 18) signed for their night’s pay of seven-pound-ten. The Beatles shared the stage that night with The Ravens (who received a mere four pounds).
The next appearance of The Beatles in these two books is Sunday, November 26, 1961. George Harrison (age 18) signed for their pay that evening. With their local popularity on the rise, the group received a whopping 15 pounds (which was more than the combined earnings of all the other acts that night: The Cyclones, The Strangers and The Jeanaros). This billing is a complete contradiction of the original advertised line-up, proving that bands often changed at the last minute.
The real beauty of these extraordinary documents is that they perfectly encapsulate the entire Liverpool beat scene of the early 1960s. In addition to The Beatles, they are signed by members of virtually all the major Liverpool bands from that remarkable era. Within these books, you'll find receipts signed by members of Gerry and The Pacemakers, Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, The Big Three, Derry and The Seniors, Kingsize Taylor and The Dominoes, Johnny Sandon and The Searchers, Ricky and The Red Streaks, Faron and The Tempest Tornadoes and Earl Preston and The T.T.s. They also feature several long-forgotten bands like Oggi and The Flintstones, The Galvanizers, Johnny Rocco and The Jets, Ray and The Del Renas and Dixie and The Daredevils.
According to reports, these receipt books were originally the property of the late Bob Wooler, legendary compere of the Cavern Club. Wooler, along with his business partner Vic Anton (a used car salesman by day) promoted shows at Hambleton Hall throughout 1961 and Wooler, in fact, also served as emcee at these shows.
More than likely, there were one or two other Hambleton Hall receipt books from that year as these two only cover six months (February-April and October until early December). While it was not the safest or most desirable setting, it is clear from the books that Hambleton Hall was still one of the more popular venues for beat shows in 1961.
This is a rare opportunity to own a pair of historically significant pre-fame artifacts – so ‘pre-fame’ in fact that they didn’t make the first U.S. trip until more than three years following the first Hambleton Hall gig – and three years is an eternity when it comes to early Beatles history. The books measure 6 ¾” x 3” (John and Paul) and 4 ½” x 1 ¾” (George), and are in very good overall condition considering the extensive use they had throughout 1961 and the fact that nearly 50 years that have passed since. These are the only known Beatles Liverpool pay receipt books that have ever been made available for sale. The Beatles’ signatures contained within them are among the earliest known examples, as very few pre-1962 signatures have ever been documented.
These pay receipt books are steeped in early Beatles history, and they are among very few similar items in existence that could have easily have been lost forever or destroyed. Instead, they survived and are ready to be at home within any significant collection of elite Beatles memorabilia …..$35,000
