PC8 A Rare Beatles Signed Fan Club Card, With THE Iconic
Dezo Hoffmann Image
Authentic Beatles signed Official Fan Club cards are very rare, as they were initially printed up for the secretaries of The Official Beatles Fan Club to sign and send out to Fan Club Members through the mail, although a very, very small percentage of these cards were actually signed by The Beatles. Therefore, authentic Beatles signed Fan Club cards are quite rare and given the fact that this is one of the if not THE most desirable image to have autographed by The Beatles, they are highly coveted and extremely impressive.....$SOLD
   
SI42 A Scarce 1965 Autograph Set Obtained Just Before The
Beatles Left For Austria To Film Scenes For "HELP!"
However, just before they left Heathrow Airport, The Beatles signed this British European Airways notification card beautifully on the back, with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr autographing in blue ballpoint pen, while Paul McCartney used a black felt tip marker to sign. The purpose of this "IMPORTANT NOTICE" card was to inform BEA flyers that as of April 18, 1965, reservations will be at the West London Air Terminal, along with providing phone numbers for both International and Domestic reservations. The card, which measures 5 1/2" x 3 1/2", is in very good condition overall, with a non-detracting vertical fold. The card was at one time affixed to a page in a photo album, with some evidence of this visible on the front side. Beatles autograph sets from the year 1965 have never been easy to find. They were so famous by then, it was extremely difficult to get anywhere near them to obtain their autographs. As time goes by, 1965 sets have become scarcer still. This is a fabulous representative set of Beatles autographs from the HELP! period, obtained just over a year after became the biggest phenomenon in the world.....$14,500    The Beatles at Heathrow Airport on March 13, 1965, just after autographing this BEA card and just before they boarded the plane to fly to Austria.  The Beatles and manager Brian Epstein coming off of the BEA airplane moments after landing in Austria on March 13, 1965.
PC5 A Gorgeous Scarce March 1963 Issue Parlophone Records
Promo Card In Impeccable Condition Signed By The Beatles On The Day
Of The Stowe School Performance
Here is one of these scarce and desirable promo cards, this one signed beautifully on the back by all four members of The Beatles in vibrant blue ballpoint pen, while performing live in concert at the Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England. The show took place on April 4, 1963 in the Roxburgh Hall at the Stowe School, which was a prestigious all-boys public school, therefore the entire audience was made-up entirely of teenage males. With that, the audience was very quiet while The Beatles played, without a single scream to be heard. This concert came about after student David Moores from Liverpool had contacted manager Brian Epstein in January 1963 to see if The Beatles would consider performing at the school, and Brian thought it was actually a great idea and he agreed to do it, for the sum total of £100. In April of this year, a previously unknown recording of this concert emerged from the shadows, having been taped by a 15 year old student who was there. https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Beatles_live_at_Stowe_School,_Buckinghamshire_(found_recording_of_British_rock_band_concert;_1963) Here is a link to that recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltLgHN6mSbM This scarce signed Parlophone card measures 5 3/4" x 3 1/2", and it is in impeccable condition, having been very well kept for the past 60 years. It was obtained by the 16 year old son of the head gardener at the school, who lived on the grounds and attended the concert, and was able to get into the dressing room - where he got them to sign this promo card. His written account of this is included. The condition of this signed promo card is such that, if you were standing outside of the dressing room on the day it was signed, and you were handed it as the original obtainor was leaving the room - this is exactly what you would have in your hands! It couldn't have been any better kept and it is arguably the nicest Beatles signed Parlophone promo card in existence.....$SOLD    
PH9 An Original Rare 1961 Beatles Photograph Autographed By
The Beatles, With 2 Beatle Drummers!
The Beatles’ popularity grew steadily in Liverpool throughout the year
1961 due to their many concert performances at the famed Cavern Club,
which has been dubbed “the birthplace of The Beatles”. In an effort to
capture the essence of the band at that time on film, the newly founded
‘Mersey Beat’ newspaper’s photographer Dick Matthews was onsite for a
lunchtime performance by The Beatles on December 8, 1961, and snapped a
series of images of the Beatles.
Here is one of those shots, an original (rare and valuable even unsigned) period print of one of the photos taken on that day by the talented Liverpool photographer - who took some of the earliest photographs of The Beatles. This early promotional photograph measures 8 ½” x 6 ½” and features The Beatles clad in their famous leather pants and jackets, with original drummer Pete Best. Best was replaced by Ringo Starr in August of 1962, and very shortly thereafter this photograph was signed on the reverse in black ballpoint pens by the four Beatles - with Ringo Starr now in place of the drummer depicted on the front of the photo. It is that clearly evident that when this photograph was signed by The Beatles, there wasn’t one available to them with the new and current line up, so they used what they at the time. Adding to the desirability of this autograph set, John Lennon and Paul McCartney have both written “love” before signing, and all four have added “XXX” after their signatures – which is always great to have. Making this photograph an extremely scarce piece of Beatles memorabilia however, is the fact that Pete Best has also signed it, in the upper right hand corner in blue ballpoint pen - which would fit well into the context of this piece because he is of course represented on the front of the photo. This is a later signature (now many decades old) which was obtained by the owner of the photo signed originally by the four Beatles with Ringo. Complete Beatles autograph sets with both drummers are incredibly rare, and this is the only known photograph. This is one of the earliest sets of Beatles autographs with Ringo, autographed by all right after his induction in to the band – and the fact that Pete Best has also signed, thus creating the only known signed Beatles photograph with both drummers – makes this a one-of-a-kind treasure.....$25,000   SA11 An "A Hard Day's Night" UK LP Front Cover Fully Signed By All Four Beatles On The Day Of The Album's Release, July 10, 1964
On July 6, 1964, the Beatles attended the Royal World Premiere of their
first feature film, A Hard Day's Night, at the London Pavilion in Piccadilly
Circus. Four days later, on the afternoon of July 10th, they boarded a flight at
London's Heathrow Airport for their triumphant return home to Liverpool for the
Northern Premiere of the film. They arrived in late afternoon at Speke Airport
to the screams of 3,000 fans. A brief press conference was held, followed by a
police-escorted drive to the city centre along a route lined with an estimated
200,000 people, roughly a fourth of the entire population of Liverpool. The
motorcade arrived at the Town Hall at a little before 7pm, where 20,000 fans
gathered in the streets outside. Here, they were given a civic reception hosted
by The Lord Mayor, Alderman Louis Caplan, and attended by 714 city officials,
friends and family members. During the celebration, the group stepped out onto
the balcony of the Hall and waved to the throngs milling in the street below. At
9pm, they left in a Austin Princess limousine for the Odeon Cinema, where the
Liverpool charity premiere showing of A Hard Day's Night took place. At 1:30am,
after the premiere, a limousine ride back to Speke Airport and another round of
civic ceremonies, they took a return flight to London.
July 10th is noted not only for the Beatles' Liverpool homecoming for the film premiere, but also the release of their third studio album, A Hard Day's Night, the first side of which contained seven songs from the film's soundtrack. If ever there was a high spot in those early days of global success, this was it. As the four most recognized faces on the planet, the boys were brimming with confidence over their recording career and the accolades they'd received for the film. On that very morning of the LP release, before leaving Heathrow Airport for Liverpool, they signed for their attending flight stewardesses unlaminated cardboard flats of the new LP cover. The accompanying photo shows Paul McCartney preparing to board the flight for Liverpool. The two stewardesses shown to the right of Paul are each clutching their newly-autographed LP flats. The attendant nearest to Paul is holding the very LP that is being offered here. An enlargement of the LP from the photo is provided for closer inspection of the location of the signatures and the positioning of the individual letters. Owning this signed A Hard Day's Night LP flat is as close as you can get to owning a signed copy of the LP and, in one important respect, is perhaps better. Because the British albums had glossy laminated front covers, the Beatles found it difficult, if not impossible, to sign the front because ballpoint pens would not take to the glossy surface. The vast majority of fully-signed British LPs (any title) were signed on the unlaminated back cover, often on top of the liner notes — and those signed on the front have signatures that are generally difficult to see and often incomplete (due to pen skips). This flat, however, was signed on the front cover graphics, making it a far more desirable presentation piece. As of this writing, there are no known A Hard Day's Night UK LP covers signed by all four Beatles on the front cover, and approximately ten known examples fully-signed on the back. On this classic cover (featuring four rows of five head shots, set up as though they were frames from a movie), each Beatle has signed beautifully in black ballpoint pen on the row where his respective image appears. Consider, too, the supreme rarity of having photographic provenance for any signed Beatles piece. Instances where visual proof of authenticity is available in the form of photographic evidence simply never happen, making the photo verification for this signed LP flat all the more astonishing. You can't ask for better provenance for a Beatles signed piece than having that piece appear in a photo with one or more of the Beatles. Adding to the rarity of this piece is the fact that 90% of authentic Beatles autograph sets were signed in 1963 when the band members were still reasonably accessible to their fans. Items signed once they had achieved global fame are relatively few in number because they were generally sequestered, inaccessible and unapproachable. Here is a chance to own the front cover of a classic Beatles album, signed on the day of release and at a time when The Beatles were on top of the world, celebrating their first film — successful, young, exuberant, creatively prolific and with so much more to achieve.....$85,000        
SA10 Incredibly Rare First Issue STEREO "Please Please Me"
Album Cover Signed By The Beatles
TWO. That's the number of STEREO "Please Please Me" album covers known to exist that have been autographed by all four members of The Beatles. And this one is in impeccable condition, having been extremely well kept over the years. On October 23, 1963, The Beatles were at Abbey Road Studios in the morning to put the final touches on their second album "With The Beatles", recording Take 16 of "I Want To Be Your Man" - and as was their jam packed work schedule the likes that has never been seen with any other band before or since - later that very same day The Beatles flew to Stockholm, Sweden for their first ever 'foreign tour'. Over the next week there they played shows in Karlstad, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Borås and Eskilstuna. On October 30th they filmed a television show called "Drop In Sweden". They returned back to England the next day. This gorgeous LP cover was autographed for Bertil Lindblom, who was a member of the Swedish band called Trio me' Bumba. When The Beatles played in Sweden in October of 1963, Trio me' Bumba was one of the opening acts on the bill for 2 of the venues: The Cirkus in Gothenburg on October 27th and Sporthallen in Eskilstuna on October 29th. Bertil became friendly with Paul McCartney during their short exposure to each other's company, and Bertil even acted as a translator for Paul. On the day that they played in Eskilstuna, Bertil brought his STEREO copy of "Please Please Me" to have autographed by the band. All four have autographed this rare album cover beautifully in blue ballpoint pen, with all signatures being virtually perfect examples. John Lennon had started signing with one pen, then quickly switched to a different pen after realizing that the first pen was faulty. Paul McCartney has written a short message to Bertil that reads: "To Bert Hill, a wonderful man!!! Best wishes from The Bottles!". According to Bertil, he was calling them The "Beat-less" as a goof, and that's why Paul call The Beatles "The Bottles". Bertil has written and signed a detailed letter, dated February of this yes, which is included with the album—thus making for Outstanding Provenance. As of 2023, albums signed by all four members of The Beatles are nearly impossible to find, as 99% + are firmly placed in collections. This extraordinary Beatles signed album comes with an exceedingly rare 1st issue Black / Gold STEREO record. In addition to being one of two known STEREO "Please Please Me" album covers known to exist - making this one of the rarest signed Beatles albums in existence - this cover is one of the finest examples condition wise of a near mint signed Beatles LP cover.....$SOLD     
JL6 Extremely Rare Unpublished Signed John Lennon 1968
Snapshot Photograph
This is a gorgeous original unpublished color snapshot photograph of John Lennon out on his driveway just days upon returning from India after having written almost all of the songs he had for "The White Album." In fact, in this photo John is wearing the same long white 'kurta' shirt that can be seen in many photos that were taken of him in India. The Beatles would go into the studio the next month to start recording the album. The girl who took the photo went to Kenwood and got to the front door and when she rang the bell - John was home and he came out! She took some pictures, got them developed, then she went back to John's house shortly thereafter and had him sign this one, which he did beautifully in blue ballpoint pen. It is well known that 1968 John Lennon autographs on ANYTHING are extremely rare and desirable. This 3.5" x 3.5" unpublished signed photo of him is really a beauty and it's in great condition!....SOLD  SI6 A Stunning Set Of Beatles Autographs On A Sheet Of Hotel Stationery, November 1963 Just five days before the release of The Beatles' second album, "With The Beatles", while out on a month and a half long headlining tour of the United Kingdom, the band performed live in concert at the Coventry Theatre in Coventry, England. The day before they played at the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth. The two venues were approximately 150 miles apart, and after the show in Bournemouth on November 16, 1963 the band started on their journey to Coventry. They made it as far as Abington, which was roughly 35 miles from their next gig, and The Beatles got a night's sleep at the Oriel Hotel & Restaurant, before heading up to Coventry the next day. Before they departed, they autographed this sheet of Oriel Hotel & Restaurant sheet of stationery beautifully in blue ballpoint pen, with each signing the best they could have signed on that day. The sheet. which measures 6 3/4" x 8", is in near pristine condition, having been very well cared for over the years. The size of this signed sheet of stationery is more than 2 1/2 times the area of an average signed album page, allowing for a mat opening that really shows off this beauty. This slice of the very UK tour that saw the origins of the expression "Beatlemania" is an "A Set" in every sense - it will blow you away in person - and it is now extremely difficult to find this kind of quality anymore. If framed with the album or photo of your choice, it would make for a striking display piece.....$SOLD   The Oriel Hotel & Restaurant as it appeared when The Beatles were there on November 16-17, 1963. PH14 The Only Known Beatles Photograph Signed By All Four After The Break Up Of The Band This one-of-a-kind Beatles signed rarity is a 10" x 8" black and white photograph features a shot of the Beatles with microphones in front of them and reporter surrounding them at a press conference just prior to their performance at Cincinnati in Ohio on August 27, 1964. Directly behind the Beatles are four DJs From the radio station WSAI-AM and to the far left is pictured Beatles publicist Derek Taylor. Complete Beatles autograph sets from the solo era are as rare as rare can be. There were not many in-person graph obtainors in the 1970s who would have had the ability to get all four on separate occasions and separate locations - but there was one. His name was Howard Siegel. Howard was a huge Beatles fan and photographer from Cincinnati, was without question one of the pioneers of in person autograph obtaining, who while an untrained photographer, got many good candid shots of bands and artists such as the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, the Who, Bruce Springsteen, and others. Of these, he pursued getting The Beatles to sign for him on several occasions. Howard got this photograph directly from the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1976 - prompted by Paul's then current tour with Wings and the fact that he was going to be out on the road and potentially accessible to sign the photograph. And he did - on May 24th, outside of the Stanhope Hotel in New York City. Below is a photo of Paul and Linda taken at the time of signing. George signed the photo at the Ambassador Hotel in Chicago on November 15, 1976, when he was in town to promote his album "33 1/3". Howard got John to sign on December 20, 1976 outside of The Dakota building in New York City. Below is a shot of Howard with John taken on this occasion. Ringo was the last to sign this photo, on March 24, 1981, at the Phil Donahue Show in Chicago, thus completed this extremely rare full set of post- break up autographs. There are very few Beatles full signature sets on one item signed post break up (less than 5 known) that are not on a signed document - with Ringo signing as “R. Starkey”, his legal name as required on documents. The overall condition of the photo is good - there is a crease on the lower right hand side. Oddly enough, the areas in which Paul and George have signed have a light grey cloudy area that provided for an area to sign boldly. This is exactly the way the photo was given to Howard. He wanted something related to Cincinnati and that's why he went to the Enquirer newspaper, He also got a photo of John Lennon onstage with The Beatles at Crosley Field in 1966 that he had John sign (also on December 20, 1976), Howard got John to sign for him on three separate occasions, all at the Dakota building in New York City, for a total of eight autographs. Obviously this was key to being able to get a full set of all four on any one item after the breakup of The Beatles, and Howard was only able to do this twice - with this signed photograph, and the other was a 45 RPM record sleeve on which George Harrison signed quite hurriedly in first name only. These is only one known signed photograph of The Beatles on which all four autographs were obtained post break up, and this is it.....$SOLD  The signed press conference photograph. 7, 1964.  Howard Segel with John Lennon on Dec. 20, 1976.  Paul McCartney in NYC on May 24, 1974. SI47 A Beatles Autograph Set Obtained At Heathrow Airport Just Before They Left For America On February 7, 1964 February 7, 1964. The day that everything changed. The day everything went went from black & white to Technicolor. Not only for The Beatles, but for Music and Pop Culture as well, which started to change radically from that point forth. As The Beatles sat in the VIP Lounge at Heathrow waiting to board the plane for their first U.S. visit, they knew that they had some good momentum to lean into after they landed on the other side the pond. I Want To Hold Your Hand was the #1 single in The States, and their newly released Meet The Beatles was #3 on the U.S. album charts. But in reality—they had no idea of the magnitude of what was about to happen. During a filmed interview in New York four days later, John Lennon would say to an American reporter about the overwhelming public response, "We thought we'd have to grow everybody, and everybody seems to know us all as if we've been here for years. It's great!" As we all know, an amazing series of events happened in rapid succession, right before our eyes—starting two days later with The Beatles historic Ed Sullivan Show performance. This autograph set was signed just moments before they boarded Pan Am Flight 101 to New York on February 7, 1964. It was obtained in the VIP Lounge at London's Heathrow Airport by a waiter who was tending to The Beatles in the lounge. He got the autographs for his daughter Pamela and amazingly, there is actually a photograph that was taken at the time of signing! The page, which measures 4 1/2" x 7", was autographed beautifully by all four Beates in blue ballpoint, with George Harrison adding "XXX" after signing. "To Pamela" was added at the top by her father. There is a non-detracting horizontal fold on the page, which is in excellent overall condition. With this historic autograph set comes two separate signed statements of Provenance from the daughter of Pamela, including one that identifies her grandfather in the photo taken while obtaining autographs of The Beatles at Heathrow that day. Very few collectors can boast of owning a "first visit" set, with the window for such a rare treasure being between February 7th and 21st, 1964. Far fewer can say that they own a set signed in the UK on February 7, 1964—at the very beginning of that mythical two week period. And NO ONE ELSE can show a photograph taken at the precise moment of signing....SOLD  An Ultra Rare and Desirable Beatles autograph set obtained on February 7, 1964.  The man in the center, who's name was Henry Webber, obtained this set of Beatles autographs for his daughter Pamela while working the VIP Lounge at Heathrow Airport on February, 7, 1964 - shortly before The Beatles boarded a plane bound for America.. While he has a few autograph books in hand in the photo (presumably on behalf of other airport workers), this page - which measures 4 1/2" x 7" - is almost certainly the one that George is in the midst of signing in the photograph, based on its dimensions.  A wire photo of The Beatles in the VIP Lounge at Heathrow Airport on February 7, 1964. This is exactly when and where this set of autographs was obtained.  The Beatles, with manager Brian Epstein, just moments after stepping off the plane at JFK to an unexpected massive crowd reception on February 7, 1964. This was the very day that started it all and changed EVERYTHING!   Two signed Letter of Provenance from the granddaughter of Henry Webber, who obtained The Beatles autographs on this magical day.
SA11 An "A Hard Day's Night" Album Cover Signed By The Beatles
For An Actress Who Filmed A Scene With Them Shortly after their triumphant visit to America in February of 1964, The Beatles returned home to England with a big challenge in front of them — and they delivered in a big way. They immediately began recording their third album, to be titled “A Hard Day’s Night” (although one of the album tracks, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, was recorded in France just before their trip to the U.S.). The album also served as the soundtrack to their first feature film, a critically acclaimed semi-autobiographical ‘day in the life’ of The Beatles also called “A Hard Day’s Night”. In addition to the title track and “Can’t Buy Me Love”, the LP contained such classics as “I Should Have Known Better”, “If I Fell” and “And I Love Her”, and was clearly the band’s best effort to date. Upbeat, exciting and energetic, it was the embodiment of ‘Beatlemania’, the fan frenzy that had exploded worldwide by the time the recording sessions took place. The synergistic effect created by featuring most of the album’s songs in the movie gave these great compositions even more impact. The songs included on this album are nothing short of spectacular, with the first 7 songs (Side One) appearing in the movie. The "A Hard Day's Night" album was released in Great Britain on July 10, 1964. All four have autographed this mono LP cover beautifully on the back in blue ballpoint pen. The album was signed by The Beatles for a British actress named Wendy Richard, who filmed a scene with them for their second feature film entitled “HELP!”, in April of 1965. While the scene was not included in the final version of the film, she did get her own personal “A Hard Day’s Night” album cover signed by The Beatles while with them on the set of “HELP!”. These are all excellent representative signatures from this time period in 1965. Included with this signed cover is a copy of Wendy Richard's original Call Sheet for filming on April 26, 1965, showing that her character was named 'Lady McBeth', and the movie was at that time still titled "Eight Arms To Hold You". Also included are 2 contact sheets with shots of her with The Beatles on the day she filmed with them. The album in in very good condition, with some signs of aging. “A Hard Day’s Night” is the first U.K. issue Beatles album to feature photographs of the band members on the back cover, with four individual head shots taken during the filming of the movie - and these images dramatically heighten the visual appeal of this signed Beatles treasure.To date, fewer than a dozen "A Hard Day's Night" covers signed by all four of The Beatles have materialized, making this an exceptionally rare and desirable title. This one is a fabulous example with outstanding provenance....SOLD
PH13 A Swedish Fan Book Page With THE Iconic Beatles Pose By Dezo Hoffmann, Signed By The Band On October 23, 1963, The Beatles were at Abbey Road Studios in the morning to put the final touches on their second album "With The Beatles", recording Take 16 of "I Want To Be Your Man" - and as was their jam packed work schedule the likes that has never been seen with any other band before or since - later that very same day The Beatles flew to Stockholm, Sweden for their first ever foreign tour. Over the next week there they played shows in Karlstad, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Borås and Eskilstuna. On October 30th they filmed a television show called "Drop In Sweden". They returned back to England the next day. Here is a page from a Swedish Fan book that was signed during that trip, featuring the Iconic Dezo Hoffman 'Seated Collarless Suits Pose', on which all four have autographed beautifully in blue ballpoint pen. This is arguably the most desirable of all images to have autographed by The Beatles, as it is so closely associated with the first wave of 'Beatlemania' in both the U.K. and U.S.A. The page, which measures 5 1/2" x 8", contains bios of all four written in Swedish. It was removed from the fan book and affixed to a brown sheet of paper that has been cut to size. With this also comes a rare and valuable concert handbill measuring 6 1/4" x 11 1/4" from this time there in Sweden, and it too featuring the epochal Dezo Hoffman pose, and also a concert ticket for their performance at Kungliga Tennishallen in Lidingovagen in Stockholm on October 26, 1963 - a show that is not listed on the handbill because it was added at a later date. The person who attended this show wrote on the back of the ticket about the experience at the concert, including the fact that The Beatles were great, and the ticket holder was able to move closer to the stage into seats in the eighth row because they were vacant. The ticket measures 5" x 3". Images of The Beatles signed by all four in any form are now incredibly scarce, as 99% + of those in existence are firmly secured in collections worldwide. To have this Iconic Dezo Hoffmann pose signed by The Beatles in 1963 is a major acquisition for any Beatles autograph collection. With the addition of the handbill and ticket, these 3 items would frame up very nicely for an impressive display piece.....$18,000
PH12 An Extremely Rare Beatles Signed Performance Shot On April 14, 1963, The Beatles performed on the television show "Thank Your Lucky Stars", which was filmed on that day and aired across the U.K. on April 20th, 1963. This early TV appearance shows Ringo's drum head with the hand painted 'Antenna B' sash, which was soon to be replaced by the first 'Drop T logo' drum head. The song that The Beatles performed for the show was their latest hit single "From Me To You". Here is a page taken from a fan magazine that depicts The Beatles mid-performance during that "Thank Your Lucky Stars" show, with text that highlights their top charting hits "Please Please Me", "from Me To You" and "She Loves You". The date of the magazine from which this page came is likely October of 1963. All four have autographed beautifully in blue fountain pen, with John Lennon inscribing "To Stephen best wishes from the Beatles (keep drumming)" before signing. It is always great to have John writing "Beatles" on any autograph set, as he was the least likely to do so amongst the four. Paul McCartney has written "best wishes from old old Uncle Paul.". The signatures all date from October / November of 1963. Additionally, the back of this page features a full page spotlighting British broadcaster and the host of "Thank Your Lucky Stars", Brian Matthew, who has signed, inscribing "To Stephen". The page, which measures 7" x 9 1/2", with some creasing evident. Beatles signed performance shots with instruments in hand are incredibly scarce, with less than ten known to exist to date.....$14,000
SA 10. A Stunning Signed "The Beatles' Hits" E.P. Record Sleeve
The Beatles greeting their Southern Area Fan Club members at the Wimbledon Palais on December 14, 1963, before performing live there for them. By this point, they had stopped signing autographs, to keep the line moving along, and they were merely shaking hands. This "The Beatles' Hits" E.P. had already been signed by them by the time this photo was taken.
The Beatles performing live in convert at the Wimbledon Palais on December 14, 1963 for the members of the 'Beatles Southern Area Fan Club'
PH11. An Iconic Dezo Hoffmann 'Standing Collarless Suits' Photograph Signed On The Back By The Beatles The Iconic Dezo Hoffmann 'standing collarless suits' pose is one of the most recognizable photographs ever taken of The Beatles... period! It's the shot that was on the back cover of the "Meet The Beatles" album and the front and back of the U.S. "She Loves You" single — both available when The Beatles made their historic first U.S. visit in February of 1964. All four have beautifully autographed in ballpoint pen the back
of this Star Pics photograph featuring that very shot on the front,
with John Lennon writing the sentiment "love from the Beatles"
before his signatures and "XX" after signing. It is EXTREMELY rare
and desirable to have John Lennon writing "love from the Beatles."
Paul McCartney has added "XXX" and Ringo Starr "XX" after their
respective signatures. A previous owner had the name "Angela"
professionally removed cleanly by a paper restoration expert. 
SI46. A 1964 North American Tour Program Page Signed By The Beatles For Piano Virtuoso Liberace In the summer of what most agree was The Beatles' most important and historic year of all, 1964, the band embarked on a month long tour of North America, which included stops in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, San Francisco and Las Vegas, among other cities. Here is a page measuring 12" x 12" signed on that very tour, taken from a "1964 Beatles (U.S.A.) Ltd." concert tour program that was available for sale at all of the Beatles 1964 North American Tour venues - signed for piano virtuoso Liberace, who was in attendance at a performance that The Beatles gave in Las Vegas on August 20, 1964 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. George Harrison has inscribed at the top of the page "To Liber-archie best wishes from the Beatles". All four have autographed this tour program page above their respective images BEAUTIFULLY in black ballpoint pen. Paul McCartney has added "(a fan.)" after signing, as he actually WAS a fan of the immensely talented showman Liberace at the time. As a humorous counterpoint, John Lennon has added "(a band)." after signing, as he was just being silly in the vein of his witty puns seen in his writings. It was mutual admiration however, as Liberace was clearly impressed by The Beatles and at the time said that they were doing great things. The Beatles did two performances on that day: a matinee (4:00 PM) and an evening performance (9:00), with Liberace attending the 4:00 show, before which he met them backstage. By that time in the summer of 1964, well past the point of the band's unprecedented ascent to Worldwide fame, only someone of that stature of Liberace would be able to meet the band backstage. A Vegas pioneer of sorts, Liberace was among the first mega headliners in Las Vegas. It is interesting to note also that this was the only time that The Beatles performed in Las Vegas. They were advised to stay out of the casinos while in town as it was feared that hundreds of underage fans would try to follow them. The Beatles received $25,000 plus 60% of the ticket sales for the two shows. This item was sold many years ago by the Liberace estate and was seen by us for the very first time 30 years ago. The page, which was the first in the 1964 North American Tour program, is in excellent condition. It was taken from the program and the left side shows some evidence of this. The signatures on this piece are absolutely perfect in every respect - it is just a stunning set of autographs in every way and each could not have signed any better on the day. The John Lennon signature is amongst the very best he gave anyone in all of 1964! Beatles autograph sets signed for major celebrities rarely ever become available and this is an outstanding example, in large format, that would look great framed for display.....$SOLD 
Reverse of signed photo.
Liberace enjoying The Beatles live in concert at the Las Vegas Convention Center on August 20, 1964.
AP10. An Outstanding Beatles Autograph Set Obtained Shortly After They Finished Filming "A HardDay's Night" The first half of 1964 was an extraordinary and historic period for The Beatles and they had very little down time. They started off the year in January with a 3 week residence at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, coming back home to England on February 4th, and with barely enough time to catch their collective breath, only 3 days later they left for New York to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. This 2 week trip also saw then perform live in concert at Washington Coliseum, then jet down to Miami for a week - during which they taped a few more Ed Sullivan appearances. On March 2nd, The Beatles began 6 weeks of filming for their first feature movie "A Hard Day's Night", wrapping up on April 24th, all the while recording some of the songs that would appear on the album of the same name. Here is a beautifully scripted Beatles autograph set, signed on April 29, 1964 - just five days after completing filming of "A Hard Day's Night" - and obtained when The Beatles performed live in concert at the ABC Cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland, while on the Spring 1964 U.K. Tour. They did two shows that evening: one at 6:30 and one at 8:50. Backstage on this night, a piece of blank off white colored index card measuring 6" x 4" was autographed by The Beatles. All four have signed the card beautifully in black ballpoint pen and each signature is a great example from the period. As the card is larger than an average sized autograph album page, a nice sized matte opening is possible for framing and this set would looked great displayed with the Beatles album or photo of your choice.....SOLD  The set of Beatles autographs obtained in Scotland in April, 1964.
Before leaving for Edinburgh, The Beatles 'met' their wax alter egos at Madame Tussaud's in London on April 29, 1964.
The Beatles performing live in concert at the ABC Cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland on April 29, 1964.
The Beatles greeting fans and signing autographs backstage at the ABC Cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland on April 29, 1964.
PH10. A Gorgeous Valex Promotional Photograph Signed Beautifully By The Beatles
In the Spring of 1963, the Valex photograph company of Blackpool,
England made and released a series of black and white glossy promotional
photos of The Beatles in various sizes, The photos featured individual
shots of each band member in suit, tie and face make up for the session,
taken very shortly after Ringo Starr joined the group in the Fall of
1962.
  SI45. Only Known Beatles Full-Signature NEMS ENTERPRISES LIMITED Letter On June 21, 1963, The Beatles
performed live in concert at the Odeon Cinema in Guildford, England,
while on their 'Summer U.K. Tour'. They did two shows that evening—at
6:15 and 8:30 PM. Just two days before, a letter on a NEMS ENTERPRISES
LIMITED letterhead was sent to Mr. Harry Buckle of London, from The
Beatles' Press & Publicity Officer Tony Barrow (signed by his secretary
Jo Bergman). The letter granted Harry permission to meet with John
Lennon while he and The Beatles were at the Odeon on June 21. The letter
was to serve as entrée into The Beatles' world on that evening.  Only known Beatles full-signature NEMS ENTERPRISES LIMITED letter
 An image of a rare concert poster for The Beatles' appearance at the Odeon Cinema in Guildford on June 21, 1963. A modern photographic print will accompany the purchase of the Beatles signed NEMS letter. A Playboy Club Cocktail Napkin Signed By The Beatles Shortly After Their Historic Ed Sullivan Show Appearance On February 9, 1964! There is not a more
important event for The Beatles than their first appearance on The Ed
Sullivan Show, and as such there isn't a more important day in Beatle
history (and one could also argue the history of Modern Music and Pop
Culture in general) than February 9, 1964. This is the exact moment where
everything went from black and white to color for not only The Beatles, but
also in many ways, for the world. When the show was over, The Beatles walked (with police escort) from the Ed Sullivan Theater straight to The Playboy Club on East 59th Street for dinner, and while there this Playboy Club napkin was signed there for a Playboy bunny cocktail waitress. All four have autographed beautifully in blue ballpoint pen, and Paul wrote "Rockefeller" — evidently as a joke. the napkin measures 10" x 5 in the open position and there is a small cigarette burn, most likely put there deliberately by John Lennon after signing. Beatles autographs obtained while on 'The First U.S. Visit' (February 7-21, 1964) are extremely scarce and desirable. Autographs signed by the band on February 9, 1964, one of the most if not THE most important day in music history are certainly among the Holy Grail of Beatles collectibles. When this set of autographs was obtained by the Bunny (whose name was Sharon Pilcher), less than one hour earlier The Beatles were on stage finishing up their stellar performance with "I Want To Hold Your Hand". They were no doubt riding an emotional high at the time this napkin crossed their path on that momentous evening. There are very few collectors who can say that they have something signed on the most important day in the history of The Beatles. It is really a Super Elite club to be a rare member of....SOLD 
The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964: 
Paul McCartney, John and Cynthia Lennon walking to The Playboy Club after
leaving
 Ringo Starr on his way into The Playboy Club.
 John and Cynthia on their way out of The Playboy Club. SI44. A John Lennon and Yoko Ono Signed Photograph That Was On Display During The 1969 Bed In For Peace In Montreal
In the Spring of 1969, John and Yoko held their Iconic "Bed In For Peace" at
the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, in suite 1742. For a full week, between May 26th
and June 2nd, John and Yoko held court from their bed, dressed in matching
white pajamas, with throngs of guests passing through - mostly journalists
(an average of 150 a day) - who photographed and interviewed the couple as
they promoted World Peace and an end to the Vietnam War. John used the
opportunity to speak by telephone to a number of US radio stations, as
well. There was another similar event two months earlier in Amsterdam, but
of the two, this was by far the more substantial Bed In, and it was in room
1742 on June 1st, 1969 that the song "Give Peace A Chance" was recorded,
with many people in attendance in the room singing back up vocals, including
Tommy Smothers and Timothy Leary, British singer Petula Clark and Beatles
Press Officer, Derek Taylor.
They initially wanted to do this Bed In in New York City, but John was
unable to secure a U.S. visa due to his arrest and conviction a year earlier
in England for possession of marijuana, so by default it ultimately wound up
in Montreal. Before they allowed people into the room, John and Yoko created
wall decorations in the form of handmade signage posters / placards, some
with caricature drawings of themselves and messages such as: "HAIR PEACE",
"BED PEACE, "GIVE PEACE A CHANCE" "REMEMBER LOVE", and "BAGISM", among
others. After the Bed In was over, John and Yoko signed everything on
display and it was all left behind and taken away by whomever, which wound
up being some members of the film crew hired by The Lennon's to document the
event, as well as a couple of hotel employees. Needless to say, these
artifacts are extremely valuable today, with the larger pieces worth well
into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. A note on display in the room,
signed by John and Yoko after the Bed In was over, on a piece of paper
measuring 8 1/2" x 11" on which was written "MURRAY THE K COMES ON MONDAY"
which was NOT in John's hand (most likely done by Derek Taylor) sold
at auction in 2015 and it went for $75,000. It is currently owned by the
Canadian Museum Of History, affirming the both importance of the Bed In and
also anything that adorned the walls of the room during this significant
happening. Offered here is a photograph of an Inuit man that was on display in the room during the Bed In in Montreal. The photo measures 11 1/2" x 8 1/2" and it is signed beautifully in the upper right hand corner in black felt tip marker by John, who has added "1969". Yoko has signed in green felt tip marker, adding "Montreal". This photograph was initially brought into the room by two Rochdale College (Toronto) students, one of whom wrote a note on the back that reads: "R. SIMON + P. JUDD WISH TO JOIN PRESS CONFERENCE WE ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF ROCHDALE COLLEGE + THE COACH PRESS + WE ARE TIRED". It is extremely likely that John was personally handed this message and then he flipped it over and saw the image on the front of the photo, liked it, and wanted it displayed in the room. It was affixed into the corner of a mirror hanging on the wall mere feet from the foot of the bed. The mirror was positioned such that it was the first thing you saw wen you walked into the room. It was in their room, as John sat in bed literally 10 feet from this photograph, that the iconic song "Give Peace A Chance" was recorded. Very few people can say that they own 'a signed piece of the Bed In' - an artifact that was in the room and clearly visible to all who entered. Without question it is a very elite group of collectors and here is a very rare chance to become a member of that exclusive club.....SOLD
A shot of John and Yoko, Tommy Smothers and Timothy Leary during the
recording of the world's best known anthem for peace, "Give Peace A Chance".
 A female guest standing at the foot of the bed smiles as a photographer prepares to take some shots of John and Yoko. This signed photograph is visible in the lower left hand corner of a mirror that faced the entrance to the room.
 A cameraman standing at the foot of the bed shoots footage of John and Yoko at the Bed In.
PC6. Rare Beatles Signed Fan Club Card, With Iconic Dezo Hoffmann Image This attractive card was initially produced for The Official Beatles Fan Club, as designated on the reverse, with The Official Beatles Fan Club logo and the club's address in London. The card features the famous Dezo Hoffmann ‘seated collarless suit pose on the front’, which is one of the most recognizable and iconic images of The Beatles in existence. All four have autographed this card beautifully in blue ballpoint pen, on or near their respective image, and to have a Dezo Hoffmann 'collarless suits' image - particularly THIS one - signed on the front is a major acquisition for any Beatles collection. The signatures on this one were obtained on November 15, 1963, while the band was in the midst of 'The Beatles Autumn Tour', and on this night The Beatles performed live in concert at Colston Hall in Bristol, England - a week to the day before their second album With The Beatles was released, which was just 2 months prior to The Beatles historic U.S. debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. The card was signed for Roger Greenaway, who at the time was a member of The Kestrels, a Bristol based band who were an opening act for The Beatles at Colston Hall. On the back of the card is written the name Andrew Collard, who was the next door neighbor of Roger Greenaway, as well as the date "15/11/1963", written as the day first, then the month as is done in Great Britain. The card, which measures 5 1/2" x 4 1/4", is in excellent condition having been well kept over the years. Authentic Beatles signed Official Fan Club cards are very rare, as they were initially printed up for the secretaries of The Official Beatles Fan Club to sign and send out to Fan Club Members through the mail, although a very small percentage of these cards were actually signed by The Beatles. Therefore, authentic Beatles signed Fan Club cards are extremely rare and given the fact that this is one of the if not THE most desirable image to have autographed by The Beatles, they are highly desirable. This is an outstanding example of one of these highly coveted rarities....SOLD.
 The Beatles performing onstage at Colston Hall in Bristol on November 15, 1963.
 John Lennon and Paul McCartney backstage with members of The Kestrels at Colston Hall, Bristol on November 15, 1963. Paul has his arm around Roger Greenaway, who at this time backstage obtained the autographs on this Official Beatles Fan Club Fan card. It is interesting to note that The Kestrels had recorded and released a cover of "There's A Place" six months earlier.
HI32. A Stunning John Lennon Handwritten Manuscript For
Bernice's Sheep, Which Appears In His Book A Spaniard In The Works
SI41. A Signed Production Cue Sheet Sheet For The Beatles' Final Ed Sullivan Show Appearance, One Day Before Their Historic Shea Stadium Concert In 1965 Kicking off their 1965 North American Tour, The Beatles flew to New York from London on Friday August 13th, and shortly after landing they held a press conference at the Warwick Hotel in Manhattan. The next day, on August 14, 1965 - a year and a half after their historic debut on the show - The Beatles made their fourth and final in studio Ed Sullivan Show appearance in New York City (and their only one in 1965). They arrived at CBS-TV's Studio 50 on 53rd Street and Broadway on Saturday morning and rehearsals for the show took place between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM, with a dress rehearsal at 2:30. At 8:30, The Beatles taped a show before a live studio audience, and the band performed 5 new songs. They started it off with a song that was #1 hit on the charts in late 1964 / early 1965. In order, the songs The Beatles played were:
"I Feel Fine" This was quite some set list. "I Feel Fine" was the late 1964 chart topper that opened up the set. Four of the last five songs were all featured on the U.K. Parlophone Records "Help!" LP release, which hit the stores in England just eight days earlier, on August 8th. The other song, Paul's Little Richard inspired "I'm Down" appeared on the 'B' side of the "Help!" single. "Act Naturally" was a country song that was recorded by Buck Owens and reached #1 on the Billboard Country charts in 1963. Ringo recorded it with The Beatles and not only was it featured on the "Help!" album, but it was also the "B side" of the "Yesterday" single. This was Ringo's only singing performance on any of the Ed Sullivan Shows. "Ticket To Ride" was of course a monster hit for The Beatles, becoming their eighth #1 single in the U.S. Paul's beautiful ballad "Yesterday" was not released in America until a month after this Ed Sullivan appearance, as a single, and of course it went on to being #1 on the charts. For this show he performed it solo, with no other Beatles onstage, accompanied by a string trio backing of studio musicians. John's powerhouse, title track cry for help "Help!" was the final performance by The Beatles on the show that evening. John forgot some of the lyrics to the song, while Paul and George did their best to keep it steady with their backing vocals. Here is a mimeographed Ed Sullivan Show production cue sheet for this performance by The Beatles, given to members of the CBS crew, which is pink in color and measures 8 1/2" x 11". All four have autographed the back of this cue sheet beautifully, with Ringo inscribing "To Debbs and Carl Love and Best Wishes" before signing. Ringo, Paul and John have signed in blue ballpoint pen, while George has used a black felt tip marker to sign. This call sheet was autographed for a Television Lighting Director who worked on The Ed Sullivan Show. The sheet is in very good condition overall with folds made at the time, shortly after the signing. To outline details of the production of the show, at the top of the front of the cue sheet under the heading 'Set Props' is written "Drums, Amps, Photo Blowups Of The Beatles", indicating that these were used for the first 3 songs performed. After "Act Naturally" there was a short break and a set change and for the final 3 songs, "Turntable Ceiling Piece, Hardwall, 2 Violins, Cello, Viola" were called for. The violins, cello and viola were played by musicians to accompany Paul when he did his rendition of "Yesterday". Under the heading 'Costume', simply written is 'Suits'. Other artists on the bill with the headlining Beatles were Cilla Black, (Marty) Allen & (Steve) Rossi, and Soupy Sales, all noted under The Beatles on this cue sheet. The show aired on television four weeks later, on September 12th. This was the very last Ed Sullivan Show episode to be shown in black and white, as the very next one was filmed and aired in color. This Beatles performance was intended to be the first Ed Sullivan Show to have been aired in color, but some technical difficulties prevented the changeover from black and white to color from happening in time. The very next day after this Ed Sullivan Show taping was a big one for The Beatles, as they performed live in concert at Shea Stadium - and in fact it was Ed Sullivan who introduced the band to the then record breaking crowd of over 55,000 fans. All of the songs performed on this Ed Sullivan show, with the exception of "Yesterday", were also played live by The Beatles at Shea Stadium the next day. Beatles autographs from the year 1965 are extremely scarce and desirable - especially those that were obtained in the U.S. during this tour. As The Ed Sullivan Show was responsible for introducing The Beatles to America in spectacular fashion, anything signed by the Beatles related to the iconic Ed Sullivan Show is truly a special and important piece of Beatles history....SOLD Here is a link to the entire Ed Sullivan Show taped on August 14, 1965 and aired on September 12, 1965, with commercials. Scroll down to "10. Show 4". The two Beatles segments start at 15:18 and 44:50: CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SEPTEMBER 12, 1965 VIDEO WITH COMMERICIALS Here is a link to several great Getty Images shots of The Beatles taken at CBS-TV Studio 50 on August 14, 1965:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE GETTY IMAGES OF THE BEATLES
'The Boss' congratulates The
Beatles onstage after their performance on August 14, 1965.
(click any image to view larger) SI43.A Dinner Menu From The Salutation Hotel In Perth, Scotland Signed Beautifully By the Beatles During Their 1963 Scottish Tour On Saturday, October 5, 1963, The Beatles embarked on a three-night mini-tour of Scotland beginning with a show at the Concert Hall in Glasgow. The following night, Sunday, October 6th, they would play two shows for 3,000 fans at Carlton Theatre in Kirkcaldy before concluding the tour on Monday the 7th with a performance at Caird Hall in Dundee. The dates were promoted by Albert Boncini, who had made an exclusive agreement with Beatles manager Brian Epstein to present their concerts in Scotland. While they stayed at Glasgow's Central Station Hotel the first night, they changed accommodations for the second night, choosing the oldest established hotel in Scotland -- the historic Salutation Hotel in Perth. Geographically speaking, this was a logical choice as Perth was centrally located between the final two tour cities of Kirkcaldy and Dundee. On the morning of the Monday, October 7th, they had breakfast at the Salutation, playing their final show that evening in Dundee, some 12 miles away.While they stayed at Glasgow's Central Station Hotel the first night, they changed accommodations for the second night, choosing the oldest established hotel in Scotland -- the historic Salutation Hotel in Perth. Founded in 1699, like nearly everything The Beatles were associated with, one of the most notable events of the hotel’s centuries long history is the fact that the band stayed there for 2 days. Geographically speaking, this was a logical choice as Perth was centrally located between the final two tour cities of Kirkcaldy and Dundee. They left the hotel on Monday, October 7th, playing their final show that evening in Dundee, some 12 miles away. Here is a dinner menu from the Salutation Hotel dated the 6th of October, 1963, autographed boldly and beautifully in blue ballpoint pen on the reverse side by all four Beatles. This is a fabulous and nearly perfect set of Beatles autographs, signed by each as nicely as they could have on that day in Scotland in 1963. Additionally, Ringo Starr has written “Beatles” at the top above his signature, which adds greatly to desirability. The menu, which measures 5 ½” x 8”, has been torn horizontally at the top by the original owner and it is in very good condition overall, with some signs of handling. A mere 7 days after this menu was signed, The Beatles were on the brink of their global fame as they made their famous televised appearance on "Sunday Night At The London Palladium", which was the equivalent of the Ed Sullivan Show in Great Britain. It was this performance that signaled the start of a national frenzy and the first use of the term "Beatlemania". For any collector looking to get a magnificent set of Beatles autographs, this is it..... $SOLD
(click any image to view larger) PC4. An Extremely Rare Early Beatles Signed Promotional Card. In the late 1950s, Liverpool photographer Bill Connell moved his recently-opened Peter Kaye Studio into a three-story, double-fronted shop at 174 Park Road in the Dingle area of town. With Brian Dawe as his assistant and Les Chadwick as his main photographer, Connell ("Peter Kaye") began to make a name for himself around the city doing family portraiture, wedding photography, commercial photography and theatrical sittings. When Bill Harry first launched his Mersey Beat newspaper in 1961, he contacted Les Chadwick at Peter Kaye because he was a close friend of Les' from the Liverpool Art College and was impressed with the photos he'd taken for the college news sheet. Harry's call came with a proposal. In exchange for photo credits, ads in Mersey Beat and a plea to local bands to use the services of Peter Kaye Studios, Chadwick and Connell would take photos commissioned by Mersey Beat. The deal was done. In late September of 1962 - just a month after drummer Ringo Starr officially joined The Beatles - Brian Epstein hired the Peter Kaye Studio to take photos of The Beatles, requesting that Connell "provide photographs that would match the unique Beatles sound". What resulted were the first publicity photos taken of the band with its new drummer Ringo Starr. In late September 1962, during a one-day outdoor Liverpool shoot, Les Chadwick took some of the most indelible early shots of the new Beatles lineup. adorned in their sharp new suit and tie look. Among the photos taken were those shot at The Bally (a local dumping ground) on the dock road as well as several shot on Liverpool's Albert Docks, using the cityscape as a backdrop. The session produced several different Beatles promotion photographs and two different promotional photocards, including this one offered here, which depicts the band standing in a nice smiling pose on the Albert Docks with the Liver Building in the background. All four have autographed the back of this extremely rare card beautifully, with John Lennon and George Harrison signing in blue ballpoint pen, while Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have used a green ballpoint pen to sign. The signatures date from late 1962, and these are all magnificent examples of each from the period. The autographs are bold, complete and among the last signed before their signatures began their slow evolution from a noticeably crude look to the more familiar fluent style that would develop over time in 1963. The card, which measures 5 1/2" x 4", in in excellent condition, having been well kept over the years. This is an exceedingly scarce signed promo card, which is infinitely rarer than the Parlophone promo cards. In fact we have not had one of these early Peter Kaye cards in over 20 years, that's how rare they are. The original owner of this particular card received it in January of 1963, upon joining The Official Beatles Fan Club, and included is a signed note from her. This is a fantastic example of an early Beatles autograph set on the back of a great pre-fame image of the group in their hometown Liverpool.....$14,000
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SI38. A Set Of Beatles Autographs Obtained During the Filming Of “Magical Mystery Tour” On Monday, September 11, 1967, two weeks of filming commenced on The Beatles' new self-conceived movie project, "Magical Mystery Tour". Boarding a Bedford VAL Panorama coach bus in central London, The Beatles and a motley crew of passengers (which consisted of their friends and office staff, a camera crew and a handful of actors and actresses of various shapes and sizes, including a ‘Rubber Man’) headed west, cruising the British countryside through Hampshire, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset counties. Along the way, the coach passed through such villages and towns as Widecombe-in-the-Moor (Dartmoor), Bodmin, Newquay, Watergate Bay, Porth and Taunton, stopping at many of these locales. The final week of primary filming (September 19-24) was done at the West Malling RAF Air Station near Maidstone, Kent. Here, most of the interior sequences were filmed (including "Aunt Jessie's Dream" and the climactic “Your Mother Should Know” staircase scene), along with exterior shoots for the Marathon and Tug-Of-War scenes and also what is perhaps the apex of the entire movie – the “I Am The Walrus” music video! This two-week period provided dozens of fans along the route with access to the group - the most anyone had seen since the waning days of 1963, just prior to their worldwide fame. Even more incredible was the improvisational nature of much of the script, which resulted in some of these fans being utilized as impromptu extras in selected sequences. Because of The Beatles' presence among the public while they were making the film, many of the scant few authentic autograph sets from that amazing year 1967 – a year that found The Beatles at the height of their creative powers - were signed during the filming of "Magical Mystery Tour". Offered here is one such set, signed at the West Malling RAF Air Station on a blue colored autograph album page. All four have autographed beautifully in pencil, with Paul McCartney inscribing "To Ingrid, love" before signing. The page measures 4 1/2" x 4" and is in excellent overall condition. Autograph sets from this late in The Beatles’ career are quite desirable because they had all but stopped signing for fans after their breakthrough in America three and a half years earlier. In recent years, Beatles autograph sets from the year 1967 have literally dried up and seldom appear anywhere for sale. The set could appropriately be framed with one of the West Malling photos contained within the “Magical Mystery Tour” LP booklet. The larger of these images (12” x 24”) features The Beatles in full stride during the amazing “I Am The Walrus” video shoot. If you are a fan of the “Magical Mystery Tour” film, and in particular the two music videos (“I Am The Walrus” and “Your Mother Should Know”) shot at West Malling RAF Air Station, or the if the spectacular and colorful 1967 is your favorite ‘Beatle year’ and you want to have an ultra-rare 1967 autograph set - then this would be the perfect addition to your collection……$SOLD
The Beatles at West Malling RAF Air Station during the time the autographs were obtained (click any image to view larger) SI33. A Nice Set of Beatles Autographs Signed Just Days After Their Appearance At The Royal Command Performance. On November 7, 1963 The Beatles flew to Dublin, Ireland, where they played their only 2 gigs ever in the country at the Adelphi Cinema later that evening – one at 6:30 and the other at 9:00. Just 3 days earlier they made their famous appearance before the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret at the Royal Command Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, which was a high point for them to that point in their career. Their second album “With The Beatles” was all set to come out in just a few weeks, as was the “I Want To Hold Your Hand” single, and at this point in their upward trajectory the band was really starting to hit their stride. It would be 3 months to the day later that they made the trip over to the United States and from there the rest was music and pop culture history. This set of autographs is found on the reverse of an airport ‘Landing Card’, obtained by “Mr. Shrimpton”, who has written up details of how he obtained the autographs as he was working for British European Airways (B.E.A.). While he has mistaken the year as 1962 (which happens often when people are recalling an event that took place over 50 years ago), he was aware at the time that he met The Beatles that they had only very recently did the Royal Command Performance, as it was big news in England, and in fact he states that he discussed the show with them. Measuring 4” x 6”, the card has been folded in half widthwise and has some staining. The signatures date from precisely this period in 1963 and all four have autographed as nicely as they could have on the day. Each signature is beautifully scripted, with every letter pronounced. This is a nice set of Beatles autographs from an exciting period for the band. 
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SI40. An Incredibly Rare B.O.A.C. Beatles Bahamas Special Flight Menu, Signed Beautifully By All On The Way To Film "HELP!" On February 22, 1965, The Beatles boarded a specially chartered Boeing 707 B.O.A.C. - Cunard for a flight to The Bahamas, via New York, to start filming their second feature film entitled "HELP!". For the flight, a specially produced (and needless to say incredibly rare) in flight menu was produced for the trip, which was dubbed the "Beatles Bahamas Special". The menu measures 7 ½” x 10 ¾” all four have autographed the back cover magnificently. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison have signed in black ballpoint pen, while Ringo Starr has used a black felt tip marker to sign. The autographs are all beautifully scripted and large – the Lennon and McCartney signatures each measure 5” long. This is a fabulous set of Beatles autographs, signed as nicely as each could have done on the day. Additionally, fellow “HELP!” movie cast members Eleanor Bron and Roy Kinnear have signed the menu, and Paul McCartney has also jokingly signed as ‘Billy Wyatt’, a fictional character he made up. It is well documented that The Beatles, despite the fact that the plane was full with cast and crew, were smoking marijuana and according to both John and George, they were very stoned for most of the trip. In fact, when asked shortly after they landed by a reporter "Well John, how was the tip over, did you all get bored on the flight, or did you have things to keep you entertained, that you all were doing?". John's reply was simple "Well, err, we all got stoned". It is a well known fact that The Beatles smoked marijuana all throughout the filming of the "HELP!" movie. When The Beatles’ Pot-Smoking Made Filming ‘Help’ a Nightmare The menu was signed for the pilot of the plane, Wing Commander E.E. Rodley, D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C., a highly decorated Royal Air Force pilot with a distinguished career in civil aviation, particularly in World War II. This Beatles signed menu is exceptional, magnificently signed by all of The Beatles, with impeccable provenance and it also has great association to the fabulous “HELP!” movie.
Image 1: The front cover of the "Beatles Bahamas Special" menu. Image 2: The signed back cover of the "Beatles Bahama Special" menu. Image 3: The first inside page of the "Beatles Bahamas Special" menu. Image 4: The Beatles at London Airport on February 22, 1965, just before boarding the flight. (click any image to view larger)
SI42. A Beatles Autographed Empire Airways Postcard, Autographed On Their Way Back From Australia In Mid-1964 On June 3rd, 1964, The Beatles departed London to embark upon their first World Tour. But it wasn't the usual Beatles lineup as we know it, because Ringo Starr had just been admitted to the hospital with a sudden case of tonsillitis. Facing the cancellation of several concerts, manager Brian Epstein had to scramble and quickly find an experienced and suitable replacement for Ringo. On short notice, talented session drummer Jimmie Nicol was hired and for the next 13 days he was a Beatle! He was perfect for the job - and Ringo's stage wear fit him well - which was a huge bonus, because there was no time to order new matching stage suits for him. During his time with the band, The Beatles played shows in Denmark, The Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia. On June 14th, in Melbourne, Australia, a fully recovered Ringo rejoined The Beatles in Melbourne, and he finished out the Oceania segment of the World Tour, which included concerts in multiple cities in New Zealand, then back to Australia for a few more shows. On July 1st, the day their final show down under in Brisbane, The Beatles flew back from Australia on a Qantas Boeing 707 V jet airplane. While aboard this plane on the journey back home to London they stopped twice to refuel, in Singapore and Frankfurt, and they landed back in England just before noon on July 2nd. The signed postcard offered here features a color shot a Qantas Boeing 707 V plane similar to the one they flew back home from Australia. On the back of the card, all four Beatles have autographed beautifully in blue ballpoint pen. The signatures are extraordinary examples, with each about as nicely as they could have signed on the day. The pilot of the plane, who got the autographs for his 14 year old neighbor Liz, has written his name in the lower right hand corner. This signed postcard comes with a letter from the original recipient, who has had the pleasure of owning it until very recently. The card measures 5 1/2" x 3 1/2" and is in very good condition overall, having been well kept over the years. With excellent provenance, signed by The Beatles at exactly the half way point of 1964, this is a magnificent representative set of Beatles autographs from that important and historical year in the history of the band.
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CP5. An Extremely Rare Scottish Tour Program Signed By The Beatles, April 1964 April of 1964 was a really good month for The Beatles. Having 'conquered America' just two months prior, by he end of April they had already filmed the entirety of their first feature film entitled "A Hard Day's Night". At the beginning of the month, they held the Top 5 spots on the Billboard charts with "Can't Buy Me Love", "Twist And Shout", "She Loves You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me" - a feat that has never been accomplished since. Towards the very end of the month The Beatles did a few live shows on the Spring 1964 U.K. Tour. April 29th and 30th saw them in Scotland - Edinburg and Glasgow respectively. For this 2 day only engagement, a super rare concert program was produced. The program, which measures 8” x 10 ½”, is 16 pages long cover to in total and features a blue paper outer cover which depicts four separate drawings of ‘Beatle hair’, each one representing a band member. Within the program there are individual and group biographies, as well as information related to the opening acts, which included among others Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers and also The Remo Four. This is an extremely rare Beatles tour program in unsigned form – worth over $400 without ink in today’s market. All four have autographed this rarity within, on their bio spread beautifully in blue ballpoint pen near their respective image, with John Lennon signing in the text below his likeness. The photo of the band here was taken by quintessential Beatles photographer Dezo Hoffmann during the session that produced some of the most iconic and recognizable shots of The Beatles ever taken, wearing their grey collarless suits and to have a Dezo image from that significant photo session signed by the Beatles is a major achievement for any collector. In addition to the signed bio spread, George Harrison has autographed the first inside page, a page that states in big block letters below a smiling pose of the band: “THE BEATLES SHOW”. This program was signed by The Beatles on April 30th, the day they played The Odeon Cinema in Glasgow. Beatles autographed concert programs have become incredibly scarce in recent years, as most are now firmly rooted in collections. The vast majority of Beatles signed programs in existence were from the year 1963, when they were more accessible in the U.K. than they were in later years….especially after achieving the fame that they did after their first U.S. visit in early 1964. For any collector looking for a significant signed Beatles display piece with strong visual appeal that is a cut above an album page, without breaking the bank, this one is for you……$18,500
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AP6. A Set Of Beatles Autographs From April Of 1963, George Harrison Has Written "BEATLES" This Beatles signed yellow autograph album page measures 4 1/2" x 4". All four members of the band have autographed this page beautifully, with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr signing in blue ballpoint pen, while Paul McCartney has used a black ballpoint pen to sign. Ringo has added "XX" after signing, but more significantly George has written "BEATLES" at the top of the page, above his autograph, which adds a great touch to this set of autographs. Autograph sets on which one of the band members has written the word "Beatles" have become increasingly scarce over the years. These rare sets are more desirable and valuable than an autograph set without "Beatles" being added by a band member.
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SI36. A Stunning Set Of Autographs Obtained During the Filming Of “Magical Mystery Tour” On Monday, September 11, 1967, two weeks of filming commenced on The Beatles' new self-conceived movie project, "Magical Mystery Tour". Boarding a Bedford VAL Panorama coach bus in central London, The Beatles and a motley crew of passengers (which consisted of their friends and office staff, a camera crew and a handful of actors and actresses of various shapes and sizes, including a ‘Rubber Man’) headed west, cruising the British countryside through Hampshire, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset counties. Along the way, the coach passed through such villages and towns as Widecombe-in-the-Moor (Dartmoor), Bodmin, Newquay, Watergate Bay, Porth and Taunton, stopping at many of these locales. The final week of primary filming (September 19-24) was done at the West Malling RAF Air Station near Maidstone, Kent. Here, most of the interior sequences were filmed (including "Aunt Jessie's Dream" and the climactic “Your Mother Should Know” staircase scene), along with exterior shoots for the Marathon and Tug-Of-War scenes and also what is perhaps the apex of the entire movie – the “I Am The Walrus” music video! This two-week period provided dozens of fans along the route with access to the group - the most anyone had seen since the waning days of 1963, just prior to their worldwide fame. Even more incredible was the improvisational nature of much of the script, which resulted in some of these fans being utilized as impromptu extras in selected sequences. Because of The Beatles' approachability, many of the scant few authentic autograph sets from that amazing year 1967 – a year that found The Beatles at the height of their creative powers - were signed during the filming of "Magical Mystery Tour". Offered here is one such set, signed at the West Malling RAF Air Station on a large piece of card measuring 7 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches high. All four have signed this card beautifully in blue ballpoint pen and overall this is just a stunning set of autographs, highlighted by the fact that John’s signature is just over a staggering 6 ½ inches long! That’s one of the largest in existence and in person this autograph set will blow you away. These signatures were obtained by a female cook who worked at the RAF base who had the opportunity to get The Beatles autographs for her daughter. It comes with a signed note from the girl, Jill Elsdon. Autograph sets from this late in The Beatles’ career are quite desirable because they had all but stopped signing for fans after their breakthrough in America three and a half years earlier. In recent years, Beatles autograph sets from the year 1967 have literally dried up and seldom appear anywhere for sale. The set, which has a light horizontal crease across the center and a few small marks, could appropriately be framed with one of the photos contained within the “Magical Mystery Tour” LP booklet. The larger of these images (12” x 24”) features The Beatles in full stride during the amazing “I Am The Walrus” video shoot. If you are a fan of the “Magical Mystery Tour” film, and in particular the two music videos (“I Am The Walrus” and “Your Mother Should Know”) shot at West Malling RAF Air Station, or the if the spectacular and colorful 1967 is your favorite ‘Beatle year’ and you want to have an ultra-rare 1967 autograph set that is stunning in person - then this is the one for you……$17,500 
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SI28. An original Paul McCartney Handwritten Beatles Stage Used Concert Set List with 20 Songs in total - Making it the Most Extensive Beatles Set List Known.
Among the most prized of all investment-grade Beatles signed or handwritten
material are stage-used set lists. These were not done for the gratification
of a fan, but for the group's own private use. That these set lists survived
the decades at all is incredible and, in fact, so few still exist as they
were created for the moment -- to be used by the band for reference for a
very short period of time and then tossed out.
There is simply no denying that, in the realm of handwritten artifacts, few
pieces can approach the scarcity, historical appeal and intrinsic value of
an original Beatles stage-used set list. Particularly in the early days when
their show repertoire was in a constant state of flux, a set list was needed
to guide their performance, to literally give them a quick reference while
the concert was in progress, for the order of songs they would play at a
given show. These were hastily written out -- often just prior to the show
-- on whatever paper was available at the moment. The lists could be written
on hotel notepaper, envelopes, paper scraps, promotional cards, even
cigarette packs.
To demonstrate the extreme rarity of an authentic Beatles handwritten set
list, it should be noted that, to date, only around a dozen have ever
surfaced…..including those still owned by The Beatles themselves.
Of these scant few still in
existence, several of these lists were attached to the guitars of either
John Lennon, Paul McCartney or George Harrison, and those have remained
either on the guitar(s), or have since been taken off – yet kept nearby.
Of those set lists that found their way into the collector’s market (just
over half a dozen), these are all tucked away in collections and rarely ever
become available on the marketplace. With so few known to exist, one can
only imagine just how infrequently a Beatles set list comes onto the market.
The vast majority are in the hands of private collectors and will likely
stay there. On a rare occasion, one will become available to those astute
enough to appreciate their historical significance and extreme desirability.
Presented for your consideration, one of very few Beatles handwritten,
concert-used set lists that have ever become available for the private
collector -- this one dating from the spring of 1963 – written out
completely in the hand of Paul McCartney for an extraordinarily long concert
performance that The Beatles gave on April 2, 1963, at the Azena Ballroom in
Sheffield, England. The concert was promoted by then 21 year old Peter
Stringfellow, who went on to become a highly successful London-based night
club owner. Starting in 1962, Stringfellow was renting St. Aidan’s Church
Hall in Sheffield (also known as the “Black Cat Club”) on Friday nights and
presenting local mediocre bands. Because the demand for tickets far exceeded
the fan capacity at the Black Cat Club, Stringfellow was forced to find a
much bigger venue, and he moved the show to the Azena Ballroom.
The songs that were to be played by The Beatles were written on the back of
a March 1963 group Parlophone Records promotional photo card which measures
5 ½” x 3 ½”. The overall condition of the card is excellent, especially
considering that it's 57 years old. (As a side note, the photo on the card
was taken on Monday, January 21, 1963 at EMI House in London by none other
than Angus McBean, the photographer credited with taking the iconic image
used on the cover of the Please
Please Me LP.) The reverse of this card boasts a staggering list of no less than 20 songs all handwritten by McCartney, making this by far the longest of the known Beatles set lists for a concert that the band did in their final formation, after hiring Ringo Starr on August 18, 1962. Represented are 13 songs which were recorded by The Beatles and appear on vinyl on the Parlophone label, including 9 of the 14 tracks found on their debut album “Please Please Me”, which came out only 11 days before this concert. The recorded songs found on this list are:
“I Saw Her Standing There”, “Chains”, “Misery”, “Love Me Do”, “Baby It’s
You”, “Please Please Me”, “Ask Me Why”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, “A Taste of
Honey”, “Boys”, “Do You Want To Know A Secret”, “From Me To You”, “Please
Please Me” (an encore performance) and “Long Tall Sally”.
“From Me To You”, The Beatles’ 3rd single in the
United Kingdom which reached #1 in the charts and stayed there for 7 weeks,
was released as a single 9 days after it was performed on stage at the Azena
Ballroom. The other 6 songs that The Beatles
sang that evening were “Sweet Little Sixteen”, “Beautiful Dreamer”, “Hey
Good Looking”, “3 Cool Cats”, “Some Other Guy” and “Keep Your Hands Off” (My
Baby) – all cover songs that The Beatles were performing on and off
throughout this exciting time period them – with “3 Cool Cats” appearing on
the ‘Decca Audition Tapes’. The Azena Ballroom concert was
exceptionally long in comparison to other gigs they were doing at the time,
which only averaged between 10 and 11 songs. The show that was guided by
this set list was literally almost 2 concerts in one - with a break in
between sets – as noted by Paul’s horizontal line midway down the card. This incredible set list was obtained
on the night of the concert, found left backstage after the show, by Roy
Simmonite – who was the drummer for opening band “Mark Stone and the
Aidens”. Included are two detailed signed
letters from him – one handwritten and one typed, as well as color
copies of: a photograph of him with his band onstage, a newspaper clipping
advertising the event, a couple of clippings related to the Azena Ballroom
show and also a quality reproduction of a photograph of The Beatles
performing onstage that evening.
Keep in mind that set lists like this were never intended for fans. Most
were either tossed out or kept for posterity by members of the group. The
rarity of this piece cannot be overstated.
 (click any image to view larger) CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION  JL2. A Rare Signed First Edition Of “In His Own Write” Autographed Beautifully By John Lennon On The Fly Leaf. On March 23, 1964, the first solo project by any of The Beatles in any medium was released: “In His Own Write” – a book written by John Lennon that contained nonsensical short stories and poems using offbeat language, puns and play-on-words that are witty, funny and surreal in nature, which were accompanied by line drawings done by John illustrating the many caricatures found in the text. Published by Jonathan Cape in Great Britain barely a month and a half after The Beatles made their historic first visit to the U.S., “In His Own Write” was well received and sold briskly and by April 23rd, the day that John was honored at the Foyle’s Literary Luncheon in London, it was already in its 3rd printing. Here is a First Edition copy of “In His Own Write” that has been signed magnificently by John Lennon on the fly leaf in black fountain pen. The signature is large, bold, beautifully scripted and near perfect in every respect, and it dates from precisely the time of the release of “In His Own Write”. The condition of the book is excellent, with a vertical crease visible on the front cover. First Editions of “In His Own Write” signed by John are exceedingly rare, with most being 3rd printings that were autographed by him at the aforementioned Foyle’s event. All things considered, this is one of the best John Lennon signed “In His Own Write” books in existence…..$5,000 Click here to view a short promotional video for “In His Own Write” filmed in 1964:
 
 (click any image to view larger) SI32. A Star-Club Pay Receipt For A Week’s Worth Of Performances By The Beatles In Late 1962, Signed By John Lennon. There is no question about it - The Beatles ‘cut their teeth’ in Hamburg, Germany, arriving there for the first time in August of 1960 for their inaugural ‘residency’. While in Germany, The Beatles honed their skills as stage performers and as their reputation grew, they wound up with larger and larger audiences and also their first recording contract, which resulted in the “My Bonnie” single that grabbed the attention of Brian Epstein and brought his vitally important presence into their orbit. Hamburg was just such an important step along the way for The Beatles in so many ways and without it their story would have inevitably been much different, and it is quite possible that they may have never become The Beatles as we know them had their time in Hamburg not transpired. After their arrival in August 1960, The Beatles made several follow up trips to Hamburg throughout the next two years, winding up in their run there in late December 1962, at The Star-Club, a new club that was situated on Große Freiheit off the infamous Reeperbahn. It had a fabulous sound system and a capacity of up to 2,000 patrons and it was the best of all the venues that they played while in Hamburg. The Beatles performed there from mid-April through the end of May. They returned again for two weeks in November, and then for one final run of shows between December 18th-31st, after which their residency in Hamburg came to an end. Here is the receipt for payment to The Beatles for a week’s worth of performances by the band, 7 shows in all, 3 hours per night, between December 18th and 25th. In another hand, a Star-Club representative has filled in the misspelled “The Baetles” and has defined their net pay, 750 Deutsche Marks (£67 per week) for each of the 4 members, totaling 3,000 DM, minus a 15% fee for a ‘manager’, leaving them with 2,550 DM. In the lower left hand corner is a stamp with the Star-Club logo and location, “Hamburg, St. Pauli”. John Lennon has signed for this pay for The Beatles work beautifully in blue ballpoint pen, “JWLennon”, as he did for any contracts or matters of formality during this period. The signature is perfect in every way - it’s beautifully scripted and just a magnificent example. The receipt, which measures 5 ¾” x 4 ¼”, is in exceptional condition having been well preserved over the last 57 years. A signed Beatles performance pay receipt is an elite piece of Beatles history and few collectors in the world can boast of ownership……$15,000
 
 (click any image to view larger) JL3. A Scarce Signed “A Spaniard In The Works” Book Autographed By The Author, John Lennon While John Lennon signed many copies of his first book “In His Own Write”, including dozens in a single day at the Foyle’s Literary Luncheon (held in April of 1964) honoring the author and the success of his new book – relatively few copies of his second book “A Spaniard In The Works” have surfaced to date. There were no public signing sessions for this book, and it is many, many times rarer than its predecessor. Here is a scarce Jonathan Cape published U.K. First Edition copy of this book which has been autographed beautifully on the frontispiece by John Lennon in black fountain pen. While there are no details as to exactly when it was signed, the signature dates from very shortly after the June 1965 release date. The book is in excellent overall condition, in square tight condition with sharp corners. This book would be a great addition to a collection that already contains an autographed “In His Own Write” book……$5000
(click any image to view larger) SI30. A Rare Important And Revealing John Lennon Handwritten Letter, Written In Rishikesh, India While In The Midst Of Composing Most Of The Songs That Would Later Appear On “The White Album”. In February of 1968 The Beatles with their wives and girlfriends took a journey to an ashram in Rishikesh, India in search of spiritual enlightenment. Having recently been a key influence for and the leading figures of the magnificent and colorful ‘Summer of Love’ following the release of their masterpiece album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, The Beatles were on top of the world, but even so they knew that a change of some sort was needed. The band was invited to the ashram by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who they had met with previously in August of 1967 in Bangor, Wales while attending a weekend seminar on Transcendental Meditation. That trip that was cut short by the sudden and unexpected death of the band’s manager Brian Epstein, a tragic event which left The Beatles now in even more of a need some answers. This all coincided with The Beatles denunciation of drug use in favor of Transcendental Meditation, so off to Rishikesh they went. While in India, John and George stayed the longest, with Ringo leaving after 10 days and Paul staying roughly 5 full weeks before heading home. In between marathon meditation sessions, long daytime walks, meals, group sing alongs and quite a bit of songwriting (Lennon said that he wrote 15 songs while in India – more than Paul and George combined), John took some time to answer a few letters he had received at the ashram. Of the few responses he sent out (mainly to friends), this one really stands out because of the content of the letter is absolutely incredible – it's unquestionably one of the best Lennon handwritten letters in existence. He goes into some detail about The Beatles purpose for going to India, religion – with John quoting Jesus and confirming his own personal obligation to Christianity, also talking about Transcendental Meditation as it relates to religion and through it how one can actually be 'experiencing God'. John writes in full, with the ‘we’ and ‘us’ references in the first paragraph relating to The Beatles: Dear Beth, Thank you for your letter and your kind thoughts. When you read that we are in India ‘searching’ for peace etc, it is not that we need faith in God and Jesus –we have faith them; It is only as if you went to stay with Billy Graham for a short time – it just so happens that our guru (‘teacher’) is Indian - and what is more natural than for us to come to India – his home. He also holds courses in Europe and America – and we will probably go to some of these as well – to learn – and to be near him. Transcendental Meditation is not opposed to any religion – it is based on the basic truths of all religions – the common denominator. Jesus said ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’ – not in some far distant time – or after death – but now. Meditation takes the mind down to that level of consciousness which is Absolute Bliss (Heaven) and through constant contact with that state – ‘the peace that surpasseth all understanding’ – one gradually becomes established in that state even when one is not meditating. All this gives one actual experience in God - not by detachment or renunciation – when Jesus was fasting etc in the desert 40 days & nights he would have been doing some form of meditation – not just sitting in the sand and praying – although meditating is a form or prayer. I hope what I have said makes sense to you – I sure it will to a true Christian – which I try to be with all sincerity – it does not prevent me from acknowledging Budda – Mohammed – and all the great men of God. God Bless You – jai guru dev. with love, John Lennon Ending with “jai guru dev”, the mantra that John sang repeatedly in his beautiful composition “Across The Universe”, the letter was written out by John in black fountain pen on one sheet of stationary for the Maharishi’s own "Spiritual Regeneration Movement Foundation Of India". The stationary sheet was made so that it folds down into its own envelope, which John hand addressed a fan (Beth Dewer, from Surrey not far from where John lived at the time) who wrote to him at the ashram expressing her concerns for The Beatles and their newfound interest in studying Transcendental Meditation under the Maharishi and how it would potentially clash severely with Christianity. The return address John wrote on the envelope was simply "Rishikesh India Maharishi's Ashram". There is a tear along the fold line on the bottom third of the page, otherwise in good condition. This spectacular handwritten Lennon letter will come with a Special Limited Edition copy of Paul Saltzman’s book “The Beatles In India”. Here is a link to see some of the fabulous pictures (all contained in the book) that Saltzman took while sharing time with The Beatles in Rishikesh in 1968. https://thebeatlesinindia.com/book/ https://thebeatlesinindia.com/photos/ Postmarked March 25, 1968, the letter is quite lengthy with a lot of writing done by John which is very detailed and revealing, written during a really key period in the history of The Beatles. The Beatles journey to India to study Transcendental Meditation and being there without any outside interruptions, phone calls or business related distractions was an extremely fertile situation for their songwriting, and while there meditating their songwriting blossomed in a way it never had before. This was in fact the band’s most productive period and without India, there absolutely would be no “White Album” as we know it. There aren’t many truly amazing John Lennon Beatle era handwritten letters out there and of those they rarely ever come to market, as most are tucked away in collections and unavailable. This letter and certainly is one of best of them, ranking way up there with the ‘cream of the crop’ for content, length of writing, and the time frame during which it was written as it relates to what was happening at that moment. Here is a rare chance to own and extremely scarce piece of John Lennon’s handwritten thoughts about Transcendental Meditation and religion, with several references to Jesus and God…..$75,000
(click any image to view larger) SI28. A "PYX Book"With A Color Version Of An Iconic Pose On The Front Cover, Signed By The Beatles. Very shortly after the July 1963 Dezo Hoffmann photo session in London that produced 2 of the most recognizable shots of The Beatles ever taken, a publishing company called Highlight Publications set out to capitalize on The Beatles’rapidly growing popularity. The publishing company put together a magazine for the fans, licensed through PYX Productions, which was filled with many new and unseen photos of The Beatles. All of the photographs were taken by Dezo, some candid, some posed, and also included in the ‘fanzine’ were bios of each band member. With text that was often humorous in tone throughout the 24 page book, the color ‘centerfold’ with facsimile autographs of all of The Beatles served as a small poster to be taped to the wall of a fan’s bedroom. The book, which measures 7 ½” x 9 ½”, was a quality product for the 2’6 price tag (two shillings and sixpence –or one-eighth of a pound). It sold well and was a hit, thus making Highlight a nice profit. Although mostly sold on newsstands throughout Great Britain, these ‘PYX books’ were often available for purchase by vendors at concert venues. Here is one of those PYX books that has been autographed on the front cover by all four members of The Beatles. The cover features the iconic Hoffman ‘standing collarless suits pose’ - from the aforementioned London photo shoot - which also appears on the back cover of the U.S. Capitol Records “Meet The Beatles” album, as well as in numerous, multi-sized publicity photos that were available for fans to purchase. Although shot by Hoffmann in black and white, this image used on the front of the PYX book has been colorized - hand tinted by artists and impressively done, it looks as good as would have been possible in 1963. This color version of the classic image is magnificent and certainly much closer in reality to what The Beatles looked like at the time Hoffmann’s camera shutter clicked, locking onto his film roll one of the most seen photographs in history. Above the image of the band (although at the time it was not needed for most to identify them) “THE BEATLES” is written in big block letters. All four have autographed on or above their respective image, with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr signing in blue ballpoint pen, while Paul McCartney has used a dark blue fountain pen to sign. In another hand the name of the original owner “A. Richards” is written in small letters. Over the years, approximately 6 or 7 PYX books authentically signed by The Beatles on the front cover have surfaced, certainly qualifying them as very rare. Although the backstory of this piece has been lost to time, the time frame of the signatures and the inks used to sign are consistent with two other PYX books that were autographs by The Beatles in August of 1963, when they played at The Springfield Ballroom in Jersey, Channel Islands, England. This is a great image to have signed by The Beatles, especially in color.
(click image to view larger) AP2. A Magnificent Blue Autograph Album Page Signed By The Beatles Here is a blue colored autograph album page that has been signed beautifully by all four members of The Beatles in dark blue ballpoint pen, with Paul McCartney adding “Beatles” at the top, above his signature. The contrast of the light blue page and dark blue ink is striking and this is a stunning set of autographs in person. There are no specifics available as to exactly when and where the page was signed, but the signatures date to very late 1963 / very early 1964. This is a really important time period in the history of The Beatles as they were literally on the brink of becoming a worldwide phenomenon and their legendary first trip to America was only weeks away when they signed this set of autographs for a lucky fan. The page measures 4 ½” x 4”, is in excellent overall condition and would look fabulous matted and framed with a favorite album or photograph of The Beatles. Autograph sets in which one of the band members wrote “Beatles” is extremely desirable and as time passes they’re becoming very scarce and they rarely come to market.
(click image to view larger) SI10. A Rare Autographed “Beatles Monthly” Magazine: Issue Number 3 In mid-1963, as The Beatles were well on their way on the ascent to, and it was apparent to publisher Sean O’Mahoney that they should get their very own magazine. So he approached Beatles manager Brian Epstein with the proposal that resulted in the publishing of “The Beatles Book”, known mainly as “Beatles Monthly”. The magazine ran for 77 consecutive months between August of 1963 and December 1969. During that period, readership grew steadily from 80,000 to 330,000 a month at the end of the run. Starting off with an editorial written by publisher O’Mahoney (using the pseudonym “Johnny Dean”) the magazine featured tons of great exclusive photographs of The Beatles in action on stage, backstage, in the studio, at home and just generally ‘being Beatles’ taken by photographer Leslie Bryce, who had amazing access to the band at work and at play. There were several interesting and relevant articles in each issue, mostly written by Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall and Beatles equipment manager Mal Evans. Also found in each magazine were lyrics to Beatles songs, fan mail, polls and contests. Here is the third issue of “Beatles Monthly”, No. 3 from October of 1963 which features a shot taken that summer of The Beatles having fun in a swimming pool. All four have autographed beautifully near their respective image in red ballpoint pen. These signatures date from the time of the issue’s release date in the Fall of 1963. Measuring 6” x 8 ¼”, the magazine is in very good condition overall, with some signs of handling. Over the years, “Beatles Monthly’s” signed by all four on the front cover have proven to be extremely scarce, with only a handful surfacing…..$18,000
(click images to view larger) SI14. An Incredibly Rare Note Handwritten By Paul McCartney To A Female Fan, Autographed By All Of The Beatles In 1964 Here is a note handwritten by Paul McCartney to a female fan on an off white colored white sheet of paper, thanking her for a gift. It reads: "Dear Vicky, Thanks very much for your letter and the St. Christopher medal, it was great. Love from all the Beatles", under which John, Paul, George and Ringo have signed beautifully using the same blue ballpoint pen that Paul used to write the note. These signatures date from late summer 1964, when The Beatles were on their first full-fledged tour of North America. The sheet measures 6 1/2" x 6", with folds, torn on the right side with some yellowing. Beatles full band signed handwritten letters and notes are incredibly rare, with less than a handful surfacing to date......SOLD
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Released in the United Kingdom on August 23, 1963, “She Loves You” (with “I’ll Get You” as the B-side) was an amazing new hit record for The Beatles and it set and then went on to eclipse several records in the United Kingdom record charts. Without question “She Loves You” is the song that thrust The Beatles full scale into the British national spotlight. It was for them the next step in their amazing progression after their first chart topping hit “From Me To You”. But it was not only Great Britain that took notice – so did other European counties – most notably Sweden, located across the North Sea, some 1,200 miles to the northeast of Liverpool. Because of the success of “She Loves You”, The Beatles were in heavy demand in Sweden and were immediately booked to play a series of concerts there in late October. And so The Beatles left for Stockholm on October 23, 1963 - the very same day the band had finished up recording for their second album “With The Beatles”. Here is a Swedish issue Parlophone Records 45rpm record sleeve for “She Loves You” that has been autographed beautifully by all four members of The Beatles in black ballpoint pen on their respective images. The sleeve features a great Dezo Hoffman shot from the same July 1963 photo session that produced the classic ‘seated collarless’ pose. As depicted on the yellow tinted image of this sleeve, each member not only has their own chair, but their own genuine smile. This record sleeve was signed on October 28, 1963, when The Beatles did a 30 minute in-store autograph session at the Waidele Music Store in Borås, Sweden. Later that evening they performed in concert at the Borås Hallen in Borås. The sleeve is in good overall condition, with some areas of paper loss on the front, and written on the back are the name and initials of the original owner, “Eva Hansson”. For any collector who has been waiting and wanting to step up to the all important category a Beatles signed record sleeve, here is your chance to own one without breaking the bank…
The steep trajectory that The
Beatles amazing rise to fame took in the year 1963 showed no signs of going
anywhere but upward at the same angle as the end of year approached. Having
released their debut album “Please Please Me”, which shot to #1 and also the chart topping
singles “From Me To You” and
“She Loves You”, in early November the
band were poised and ready to release the freshly recorded and future smash hit
“With the Beatles” album. On November 4, 1963 The Beatles performed at the ‘Royal
Variety Performance’ at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, and it was to
become one of their most important concert appearances. The ‘The Royal Variety
Performance’ (also called ‘The Royal Command Performance) had roots going all
the way back to 1912. It was a gala
evening held annually and by the 1960’s, it was popular variety show consisting
of family entertainment which included singing, dancing, comedy and other forms
of enjoyment for the viewing public, as the show was broadcast on television by
the British ITV TV network. The acts were all there at the request of the Royal
Family. All four have autographed the back of this artistes and
staff pass very nicely in black ballpoint pen, with Paul McCartney adding
“Beatles” above his signature. This
pass, which measures 4 ½” x 3 ½”, was given at the door to Philip Rose from the
weekly half hour television show “Pinky and Perky” (who were actually marionette
pigs). The show appeared on BBC television and Philip Rose was a manipulator of
one of the puppets, and also a wise man to have his pass autographed by The
Beatles that evening. In attendance were both The Queen Mother and Princess
Margaret and this is the very performance that saw John Lennon say just before
The Beatles’ final song “Twist and Shout”,
“For our last number, I would like to ask your help. Will the people in the
cheaper seats, clap your hands? And for the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle
your jewelry…..”. For The Beatles to play The Royal Variety show in 1963
was something that even they could not have imagined as the year began, when
they were barely known in Great Britain outside of their native Liverpool.
Through hard work, extensive touring, and of course their amazing music – the
band’s popularity spread like wildfire, bringing them to the place where they
were far the biggest thing in England by the time November 4th rolled
around. While The Beatles did sign a few items on this momentous
evening, the number of autograph set that have materialized to date is very low:
a few programs, a couple of artistes passes and the odd autograph book page. The Royal Variety Performance occurred less than 100 days before The Beatles’ historic first U.S. visit, and while it was indeed a great achievement for them – it was also the last of their ascending big steps before their tremendous television appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”. Here is an opportunity to own a piece of this historic evening that occurred at the Prince Of Wales Theatre on November 4, 1963…..$20,000
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