Beatles Autographs
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AP2. A Set Of Beatles Autographs On Two Items
This complete set of Beatles autographs consists of two items, the first being a green colored autograph album page which measures 5 ¾” x 4 ½”. This page has been beautifully signed by John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison in blue ballpoint pen. These signatures date from July/August of 1963, and they are great examples from the period. The second signed item is an October 1962 issue Parlophone Records promo card which has been signed on the reverse by Paul McCartney in blue ballpoint. Additionally, he has added “(Beatles)” and “XXX” following his signature, which dates from early 1963. These two items have been matted with a “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” LP cover and framed to 17” x 21”. This is an exceptional set on two items nicely presented and ready to hang and display…..$6,500.
CP2. A “Beatles (USA) Ltd” 1964 U.S. Tour Program Signed By The Beatles
Seven months after their first historic visit to America, The Beatles made a return visit in September of 1964 and embarked upon their first full-fledged tour of the United States. They played 32 shows in 24 cities between August 19 and September 20. Among these was the fabled show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Here is a program from that first North American tour which has been signed beautifully by The Beatles on the first right-hand inside page. Each member has signed in dark blue ballpoint pen directly above his respective image. The signatures were originally obtained by Mr. Raymond Lussa, the owner of the New York based company Souvenir Publishing, which published Beatles promotional materials and fan magazines, as well as this program. Lussa had The Beatles sign this program for him. He then gave it to a 10- year-old girl named Vicky, the daughter of his next-door neighbor. It was signed while The Beatles were in New York to play two consecutive days at The Forest Hills Tennis Stadium (August 28th and 29th). The program, which measures 12” x 12”, is in very good condition overall, with some minor scuffing and wear to the front and back cover. The signed page is flawless and all signatures are bold, complete and excellent examples from their all-important breakthrough year of 1964. Very few of these Beatles (USA) Ltd. 1964 programs were signed by The Beatles because it was virtually impossible for fans to get to them either before or after a performance once they arrived in America. This was quite a turnaround from just a year earlier, when they were still fairly accessible while touring in Great Britain. Signed as beautifully as it is, this is without a doubt one of the nicest autographed Beatles 1964 tour programs in existence…..$25,000
PH3. A Color Magazine Photo Signed By The Beatles
Authentic signed photos of The Beatles are a rare commodity, especially color images like this one. Carefully removed from an early British fan magazine, this photo measures 11 ¾” x 9” and features an image of the group in their light gray collarless suits as photographed by the legendary Dezo Hoffmann in mid-1963. All signatures date from August/September 1963 and each Beatle has signed in blue ballpoint pen above or on his respective image. The page is in good condition, with some scuffing to the maroon photo background, minor creasing and small tape stains in the lower left- and right-hand corners. When you consider that fewer than 20 fully-signed color images of The Beatles have surfaced to date, you begin to grasp the extreme scarcity of this item…..$12,500
JL2. A Color Trading Card Signed By John Lennon
Here is a trading card manufactured in 1964 by A. & B. C. Chewing Gum Ltd. in
England, number 22 in the series of 50, which features a smiling color shot of
John Lennon dating from late 1963. This card has been signed very nicely in
blue ballpoint on the front by Lennon above his image. The signature dates from
late 1964 and is a nice, complete example from the period. It measures 2 ¼" x 3
¼" and is in excellent condition overall. The previous owner has had a tape
stain professionally removed by a paper restoration expert. Although some of
the Beatles gum cards were printed
with facsimile signatures on the front (specifically the TOPPS U.S. issue
cards), in reality trading cards which were
actually signed by any member of The Beatles are exceedingly rare....$4,000
PC1. An Excellent Beatles Signed Fan Club Promo Card
This Official Beatles Fan Club promotional photocard was one of a quantity produced specifically for and given to the fan club secretaries to sign and send out through the mail in response to the hundreds of autograph requests that were coming into the fan club in any given month. The card features the classic Dezo Hoffmann ‘seated collarless’ suit pose, which is one of the most recognizable images of The Beatles and the first seen by millions of American fans when the band arrived here for the first time in early 1964. The vast majority of these cards were in fact signed by the secretaries of the fan club, but road manager Neil Aspinall also signed quite a few while The Beatles were out on tour in 1964. The cards worked well for him because they fit nicely in his pocket and were handy when he needed to sign on behalf of the band (which he often did). A small number of these cards were also signed by The Beatles themselves, including this one which has been autographed beautifully by all four. John Lennon has signed in blue fountain pen, and Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have signed in blue ballpoint pen. This card was signed by The Beatles circa September 1963 shortly after the card was first issued and they represent excellent examples of their signatures from this period. The card measures 5 ¼” x 4 ½” and it is in very good condition, with tape residue on the reverse. Of the 20 or so Beatles signed Fan Club cards which have surfaced over the years, this is one the nicer examples….. $18,000
PH1. A Rare Signed Performance Shot Of The Beatles
On December 17, 1965, the
television spectacular “The Music of Lennon and McCartney” aired on Granada TV
in Great Britain. Johnny Hamp, Granada’s head of light entertainment, wanted to
pay homage to the songwriting talents of
John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Several of the top acts of the day appeared on
the 50-minute program, including
The Beatles themselves, their producer George Martin, Peter and Gordon, Cilla
Black, Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas,
Henry Mancini, Marianne Faithfull, Peter Sellers and Lulu. Each took turns
performing covers from the ever-growing
Lennon-McCartney song catalog. This photo, which comes directly from the
collection of renowned Beatles fan club secretary Freda Kelly, depicts the group
performing the song “Day Tripper” from that broadcast. The photo is
actually
the inside front cover of a tour program from December 1965, when The Beatles
were out on a short tour of England
(with The Moody Blues as an opening act). This series of concerts turned out to
be the last The Beatles ever played in their native Britain. The black and white
image, which measures 10 ½" X 7", has been signed beautifully by all four
members of The Beatles in blue ballpoint. George Harrison has added "love
from" before his signature, and Paul McCartney “love” before his, adding a nice
touch. The powerful double-A side “We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper”
single AND the phenomenal “Rubber Soul” album had just
been released at the time of the tour, and The Beatles
ended an amazing year on very high note. Signed images of The Beatles
performing with their instruments are very
rare, with less than 10 surfacing to date … and this particular one has
excellent lineage from a true Beatles insider
and colleague…..$27,500
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
SI 3. 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
AP5. A Green Colored Autograph Album Page Signed By The Beatles In
Late 1962
Here is a light green colored autograph album page which was signed by all four members of The Beatles within months of Ringo Starr joining the band in August of 1962. All four have autographed this page very nicely, with John Lennon and George Harrison signing in blue ballpoint. George has added “XX” following his signature, indicating that this page was signed for a female fan. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have signed in green ballpoint pen, with Paul adding “THE BEATLES” in capital letters, a rare form, as he almost always used script to write the name of the band when he did so. This adds a nice touch, as it is always desirable to have a band member write “Beatles” or “The Beatles” when signing an item. Ringo has added “Love” before and ”XXX” after his signature. The signatures on this page date from November/December of 1962, and are excellent examples from this early period, when The Beatles were still relatively unknown throughout most of Great Britain. The page measures 5 ¾” x 4” and is in very good condition, having been well kept over the years…..$9,000
Item AP1.
An Autograph
Album Page Signed By The Beatles In 1964
This yellow colored autograph album page has been signed very nicely by The
Beatles, with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr signing in black
ballpoint pen, while Paul McCartney has used a green ballpoint pen. This page
was signed in January of 1964, and the signatures are good examples from this
period just prior to The Beatles first U.S. visit. The page, which measures 5
¼" x 4 ½", is in excellent condition, and would look great framed up with your
favorite Beatles LP cover or photograph …..$9,000
Item AP3. A Set Of Beatles Autographs On Two Pages
This complete set of Beatles signatures is contained on two pages, the first of which is a blue/green colored sheet of lined notepaper which measures 3 ¾” x 6”. John Lennon and George Harrison have signed this page beautifully in blue ballpoint pen. The second page measures 4 ½” x 4”, is light green in color, and has been signed by Paul McCartney in blue ballpoint pen, while Ringo Starr has used a black ballpoint. Paul has written “Beatles” above his signature, which is very desirable and adds a nice touch. Both pages, which are unmatted, were signed in late 1963. All four signatures are excellent examples from this period just before The Beatles arrived here for their first historic U.S. visit. Beautifully presented, it is professionally framed with a reproduction of the classic Beatles 'Lybro' Jeans advertisement and ready for display…..$6,500
