Two more McCartney signatures

We have recently taken in two more Paul McCartney signatures for the auction in August.

As with the previous post the signatures come from two different eras of Paul’s career.

The autograph on this cigarette packet was obtained in Rhyl in 1963 when the Beatles played at Ritz Ballroom in July that year.

It has an estimate of £250-£300.

 

 

The second autograph has an interesting story attached to it. The vendor used to work for Hoover and a colleague had to go on a call to Jean Boht’s house. Jean Boht was the star of the popular sitcom Bread, playing the matriarchal Ma Boswell. The vendor was a fan of the series and asked if her colleague would get her an autograph. They did, and they also got an autograph from the other person visiting Jean Boht that day, who just happened to be Paul McCartney. The autograph also features a smiley face drawn by Paul which adds to the appeal of the signature.  It carries an estimate of £400-£450. 

McCartney Signatures

Autographs feature heavily in our auction each year. We’ve already taken some in for the 2012 event.

We have two Paul McCartney autographs from different eras of his career.

First of all here’s a signature from the 70s on the back of a Wings postcard. It was signed in Glasgow.

It has an estimate of £350-£450.

Next here’s one in a copy of Blackbird Singing, which was signed at WH Smiths in Liverpool. Fans waited out overnight in wintery conditions to meet Paul at this signing event.

It has an estimate of £450-£500

The value of autographs very much depends on what the signature is on. Books, records and on the front of photographs or postcards are the most desirable. With the exception of signatures in books, most of the time people are looking for something they can frame up with the minimum of fuss. The condition of the signed item also has an effect on the price.

We will never give a valuation on signed items without seeing them first.

A Christmas Gift from Them to You

The Beatles Fan Club Christmas Flexi discs regularly appear in our auctions.

The flexible  plastic records were issued at Christmas time to all the members of the Beatles fan club and contained a special recorded message by the band to the fans.

In 1963 apparently 25,000 were made and sent out to fans, then a further 10,000 got sent out without sleeves due to demand. After that obviously the fan club numbers exploded and many more copies of subsequent discs were sent out.

The rarest of the Christmas records dates from 1970, when fan club numbers were falling. This was a proper vinyl album which compiled all the previous Christmas flexi discs together on one record.

So far we have flexi discs from 1963 to 1967 in the auction. The 1963 disc is estimated to sell for around £80-£100 and the rest for around £50-£60 each.

19631964196519661967

2012 Auction

We have now started to take in lots for the 2012 Liverpool Beatles Auction.

The auction is held the Saturday before the August Bank Holiday every year, but lots are taken in well in advance. Space in the auction is limited so we encourage people to contact us about potential lots as soon as possible. Most years the sale is full by the start of June.

If you have an item you'd like us to consider including, please check out our FAQ section before contacting us.

Our valuations are free, see the contact section to get in touch with us.

The auction takes place on Saturday August 25th 2012 at The Paul McCartney Auditorium at LIPA. It is organised by The Beatles Shop on Mathew Street, where lots are still being taken in up until June. Contact details are listed on the right of this page, and potential vendors and buyers should read the FAQs and the relevant buyers/sellers notes.

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If you have any items of interest for the auction please contact us. Click the link on the right for details of how to get in touch.

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Press enquiries should be made through the same contact link. Better images of items can be made available to the press upon request.

Auction Prices Highlights

For various reasons we do not issue a complete list of prices from the auction.

However I can bring you some selected highlights from this year's event.

Anthology Book signed by Neil Aspinall - £122
Beatles Brooch - £30
Scrapbook of the Blackbird Singing signing event signed by Paul McCartney and sold for a local charity - £450
Star shaped tambourine signed by Ringo Starr and sold for a charity - £390
Toy Beatles Harmonica - £120
Fan Club Juke Box Jury programme - £250
A John Lennon figure radio from 1980 - £65
A photo of the Beatles outside Forthlin Road signed by John, George and Paul - £1700
Cavern Handbill from 1959 featuring Rory Storm and The Hurricanes - £200
Life sized poster of Paul McCartney from 1964 £110
A Desk from the Liverpool Institute for Boys - £290
A cap that used to belong to John Lennon - £3900
The original front door from the Phillips Recording Studios at 38 Kensington, Liverpool - £2200
(I'm very happy to report that the door is staying in Liverpool and will be on display in the Liverpool Museum at some point in the future)
1961 Cavern Club Card - £650
1962 Cavern Club Card - £200
Washington Pottery original cup and saucer set from 1964 - £75
A handbag that was taken by its previous owner to the original Cavern regularly - £110 (and the new owner has already taken it down to the current club!)
Complete ticket for the Northern premiere of the Hard Day's Night film in Liverpool - £600
Love Me Do and Please Please Me singles, fully signed by the Beatles - £7000 each.
A section of Paul McCartney's shirt from the 1960s - £220
Typed and signed letter from Maureen Starkey - £320
Cavern Club Brick - £380
Love Me Do Demo record with A label - £2100
Press pack for the re-opening of The Cavern Club in 1966 - £240
Love Me Do single signed by John, Paul and George on both the A side and the B side - £3600
Please Please Me single signed by all four Beatles on both the A side and the B side - £8000
Contracts for Rufus Thomas and Solomon Burke to play the Cavern Club in 1966 - £190 and £170 respectively
Unused Cavern window Sticker - £70
Unused Cavern Autograph book - £190
Unused Cavern Address book - £170
Two 1967 Cavern tickets including one for Status Quo - £110
Letter from the Cavern to the Gas Board regarding the imminent demolition of the club in 1973 - £90

We've already had calls from people with some nice items to go into next auction. We will start taking in items from about November so bookmark this blog, or subscribe via google or your RSS reader of choice for details of items as we get them in.




The auction takes place on August 27th 2011 at The Paul McCartney Auditorium at LIPA. It is organised by The Beatles Shop on Mathew Street, where lots are still being taken in up until June. Contact details are listed on the right of this page, and potential vendors and buyers should read the FAQs and the relevant buyers/sellers notes.

---

If you have any items of interest for the auction please contact us. Click the link on the right for details of how to get in touch.

---

Press enquiries should be made through the same contact link. Better images of items can be made available to the press upon request.

How Absentee Bidding Works

We've had a few questions about how the absentee bidding works.

All you need to do is to tell us the amount you would bid up to if you were in the room. Once we have a note of this limit we will bid on your behalf up to that amount. We are required to obtain the item for the best price within  your limit depending on reserves and bids in the room. 

So, for example - you choose a top bid of £100
In the auction room the bidding begins at £50, a bidder in the room bids £55, the reserve is £60 so the auctioneer will bid that amount on your behalf, the bidder increases their bid to £65, the auctioneer will bid £70. The other bidder drops out. The item is yours for £70 (plus buyers premium and postage of course)

Please note - Bids in the room take precedence over absentee bids so in the above example, if the bidder in the room took the bid up to £100 they would win the item not you.

Not all items have reserves on them, but we are not allowed to give details of any reserve prices on items.
We also cannot tell you what other absentee bidders have bid on items, however we can advise you whether your bid has a good chance of success. (But please do note that this is in no way a guarantee that you will be successful, we don't know how things will go in the room on the day.)

Absentee bids need to be placed with us at least 24 hours in advance as we need to make sure all the information is with the auctioneer on the day. Placing an absentee bid is a clear intention to buy. Bids may be withdrawn at any time up to 24 hours before the auction.

This means all absentee bids need to be with us by the morning of Friday 26th August. This is also the last opportunity to increase, change or withdraw your bid.

You can fax your bid to us on 0113 2779750, or from the USA 0144113 2779750. Or you can email bids 
to auction@thebeatleshop.co.uk,  please get in touch if an emailed bid is not acknowledged within two days.
We need the following information for absentee bids
-Lot Number
-Top bid (a clear figure, not a range or vague amount. We do not accept unlimited or "buy" bids)
-Your name and contact details.
You may be asked to secure an absentee bid by giving credit card details. No payment will be taken using these details unless you default on a winning bid. Winning bidders will be contacted as soon as possible after the sale to arrange/confirm payment details.


If you have any more questions email via the above link or telephone 0151 236 8066.  

Important Information for Bidders

How to Bid in Person
If you are attending the auction with the intention to bid on an item you need to register for a bidding paddle first. You can register on the viewing day as well as the morning of the auction. We will need contact details including your home address, where you are staying in Liverpool if applicable, a phone number where possible, and email address. This information is not passed on to other parties. Your email address will be used next year to send you notification about to download future auction catalogues. 
The bidding paddle is numbered, if you are the winning bidder you need to make sure the auctioneer has noted this number.


Absentee Bids
You can fax your bid to us on 0113 2779750, or from the USA 0144113 2779750. Or you can email bids 
to auction@thebeatleshop.co.uk,  please get in touch if an emailed bid is not acknowledged within two days.
We need the following information for absentee bids
-Lot Number
-Top bid (a clear figure, not a range or vague amount. We do not accept unlimited or "buy" bids)
-Your name and contact details.
You may be asked to secure an absentee bid by giving credit card details. No payment will be taken using these details unless you default on a winning bid. Winning bidders will be contacted as soon as possible after the sale to arrange/confirm payment details. 


Important Notice
Unless stated in the description no certificates of authenticity or letters of provenance will be provided.

Covering the Cavern Club from beginning to end!

The 2011 Liverpool Beatles Auction boasts lots that cover the entire history of the original Cavern Club from its roots as a Jazz club through to its final demise.

The Hessys publication Frank Comments (Lot 92 – three issues) and Merseyside Jazz Magazine (lot 91) carried adverts for the Cavern Club and it organised it's own Jazz Festival in 1960 with a programme of events (lot 95) that included Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, featuring Ringo Starr on drums.

When the Beatles were playing in the Cavern one fan took her records Love Me Do (lot 206) and Please Please Me (lot 205) down to the club in her handbag (lot 200) to get signed.

When the Cavern stage was replaced in the 1960s it was cut into pieces and sold off to Beatles fans (lot 259). The Cavern closed in the mid sixties, but it did not go quietly, there were protests and eventually the club reopened in July 1966. The Prime Minister came along to the reopening. There was a programme for the event (lot 214) and Rufus Thomas and Solomon Burke were contracted to play during the day (lots 273 & 274)

After the reopening the club started to sell branded merchandising. There are quite a few examples in the auction including a very rare Cavern Tshirt (lot 264) and a full price list for merchandise available to fans. (lot 287)

The club was finally subjected to a Compulsory purchase order from the Railways (lot 253) and set for demolition. But not before the gas meters were all read. The club contacted the Gas Board by letter (lot 216) informing them that demolition was imminent and they weren't responsible for damage to Gas Board equipment that wasn't removed.

And just when you think the story of the original Cavern is over, building work on the site a decade after the club was demolished yields a number of original bricks from the original club that are sold off by the new site owners for a local charity. (lot 215.)

And this is only skimming the surface of Cavern items in this year's auction!

Details of how to download the 2011 Liverpool Beatles Auction Catalogue in pdf format can be found here.

2011 Liverpool Beatles Auction Catalogue now available to download.

The 2011 auction catalogue is now available to download in pdf format.
Most browsers will open the file but you can also right click to save it onto your own computer.

2011 Liverpool Beatles Auction Catalogue Download. (118kb approx pdf file)
2011 Catalogue photographs - (9.65Mb approx pdf file) Please note, these photo pages are laid out for the print catalogue, hence the large file size.


If you do need a pdf reader it is available free from adobe.
You can also read pdf files on an number of devices including the Kindle by simply dragging the files your device.

A large number of lots have been covered in this blog, to find them use the search facility provided on the right, or go through the archives also listed on the right.

The printed version of the catalogue is not yet available. Details will appear on this blog as soon as we have them available to send out/collect.

So Good They Signed It Twice...

These copies of Love Me Do and Please Please Me are both red label versions of the singles and are both signed, on both sides! 

Love Me Do is signed by John, Paul and George on both the A-side and the B-side. Estimate £2000-£2500

Please Please Me is signed on both sides of the record by all four Beatles. Estimate £7000-8000


(click on the photos to see larger versions.)




The catalogue for the 2011 Liverpool Beatles Auction will be available very soon. Details of how to get a copy will appear on this site as soon as possible.