Beatles magazine signed by the Fab Four unwittingly donated to a charity shop

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Beatles magazine signed by the Fab Four unwittingly donated to a charity shop
A BEATLES fanclub magazine unwittingly donated to a charity shop in a box of records has sold for almost £6,500 because it was autographed by the Fab Four.
EXPRESS
Thu, Dec 15, 2016


A Beatles fanclub magazine unwittingly donated to a charity shop has sold for almost £6,500

The unlucky owner did not realise the valuable programme was inside the box before they went to an RSPCA shop in Somerset to hand it over.

When staff sifted through the old vinyl records they plucked out the Beatles magazine that had a colour photo of a John, Paul, George and Ringo on the front cover.

Crucially, the item had been signed by all four members of the group in Biro at the same time, probably after one of their concerts in the early 1960s.

An RSPCA volunteer took it to Lawrences auctioneers of Crewkerne, Somerset, to see whether the autographs might have been faked.

After careful examination by two Beatles' aficionados the item was declared genuine and was offered up for sale, with the proceeds going to the RSPCA.

It had a pre-sale estimate of £1,000 but was bought by a known Beatles collector for £6,470


It had a pre-sale estimate of £1,000 but was bought by a known Beatles collector for £6,470

To have the signatures of all four Beatles on a single document or photograph makes that item highly sought-after.

Simon Jones, of Lawrences, said: "It was an amazing find by the staff at the charity shop who showed great diligence. "The magazine could easily have gone on to be sold to a customer for just a couple of pounds.

"It was found it in a box of vinyl records from the 1960s and '70s. The staff were a bit sceptical at first because there are so many fake Beatles' signatures out there.


The unlucky owner did not realise the valuable programme was inside the box

"But when we saw them they looked genuine. They were so visual and clear with no signs of smudging. 

"We had them checked out by a couple of specialists who were very happy with them.

"The magazine was something the Beatles sent to their fans in the 1960s.

"We don't know when or where they signed it but it was most probably after one of their concerts when fans could get access to them.


Crucially, the item had been signed by all four members of the group in Biro

"It was probably the pride and joy for the person who originally owned the magazine because it has clearly been kept safe and looked after.

"But over the years its significance became lost on the person who handed the box of records to the RSPCA. But their loss is the charity's gain.

"We possibly thought it might make £2,000 so we were very surprised by the final price.

"From a buyers point of view, to have all of the autographs on one photograph enhances its desirability.

"You have to remember that two of the Fab Four are no longer alive and so there are only a finite number of documents that contain all four autographs."