Beatles ticket stubs and autographs fetch £2,700 at auction

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Beatles ticket stubs and autographs fetch £2,700 at auction
By TracyWalker
Posted: July 20, 2016

Ticket stubs for a Beatles concert in Nottingham and a scrap of paper featuring the Fab Four's signatures fetched £2,700 at auction - which was less than anticipated.



The Beatles autographs and concert ticket stubs

The memorabilia went under the hammer today, Wednesday, and were sold to a buyer from New York.

They had been put up for auction by Keyworth grandmother Josephine Yates and had originally been expected to go for £3,000 to £4,000.

But on the day, the 71-year-old had to Let It Be when the price fell short.


Josephine Yates has put the ticket stubs and signatures up for auction

Mrs Yates now has a Ticket to Ride as she planned to spend the money on a holiday.

The tickets and stubs were Lot 171 at an auction at Dominic Winter, in South Cerney, Cirenster.

Henry Meadows, who is originally from Keyworth and an auctioneer and valuer with the firm, said: "They sold for £2,700 + 19.5% Buyers' Premium, bought by a collector from New York. There was also a major dealer on the phone but they felt this was too much for them.

"Given the interest it felt like they should have done better but ultimately the market decided the price."


Mrs Yates told the Post last week that the ticket stubs were from a gig at the Elizabethan Ballroom above the old Co-op House in Upper Parliament Street on March 7, 1963, which also featured Jerry and the Pacemakers and Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas and turned out to be "one of the best nights of my life".

The band were just on the cusp of mega-stardom, so auctioneers had convinced that these are genuine signatures - and not signed by their roadies as they would have done after they shot to fame.

She was lucky enough to go backstage and meet John, Paul, George and Ringo and get their autographs.


Library file dated 4.11.63 of The Beatles. Picture by PA.




www.dominicwinter.co.uk
Printed Books, Maps & Documents
20TH JULY 2016

*The Beatles.

A set of autographs on a small pink album leaf, [1963], 
inscribed and signed by George Harrison in pencil at head, 'To Josie love from George Harrison xx', with autographs of Paul McCartney (blue ink and three kisses), Ringo Starr (pencil) and John Lennon (blue ink and three kisses) signed consecutively beneath, the sheet slightly creased and frayed at top margin where torn from album, 11 x 7.5 cm, together with a pair of original concert tickets from where the autographs were obtained at the Elizabethan Ballroom, Nottingham, 7th March 1963, printed in black on yellow paper, the concert advertised as 'Rock 'n Roll Concert/Dance starring The Beatles plus All Star Show', ticket price 6/6, numbers 717 & 718, one with minor creasing, 6 x 8.5 cm 
A computer-typed letter from the vendor who obtained these autographs accompanies the lot. At the time the 18-year-old Josie, her sister and two friends had no idea who The Beatles were or not to expect. 'At the end of the night we dashed backstage waiting outside the dressing room door, the old man on the door wouldn't let us in then John Lennon appeared and said let them in. The room was full of people, fans and staff, I didn't know which one was who, I just knew there was four of them and they all had the same haircut, they had changed out of their stage clothes. With nothing to get their signatures on. Someone tore out a page from their autograph book, then there was a scramble to find something to write with, a pencil was found, and I had George's signature, next was Paul we queued while he sat on a trellis table when I was next he said to sit next to him and he giggled and nudged me like a teenage girl (obviously taking the mick) happiness. Ringo was next to sign my scrap of paper. I knew there was four and was one missing frantically looking around then John Lennon reappeared that was it I had all four. Last bus missed it but had to be a taxi home but it was worth it. We saw them twice more in December that year and again in 1964 at the Odeon cinema Nottingham. By the time of the third concert you couldn't hear them over the sound of all the screaming girls.'
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