An autograph book featuring the signatures of all four Beatles, along with a broken guitar string belonging to George Harrison, has sold for £7,000 at auction in Lichfield.
The album was sold by Richard Winterton Auctioneers on Monday 2nd February at The Lichfield Auction Centre, attracting strong interest from bidders in the UK and overseas.
The unique collection was compiled by Elizabeth Salt, known in the 1960s as Liz McBrierty, who collected the signatures as a Portsmouth teenager during the height of Beatlemania. She encountered John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr when the band played the Savoy Ballroom in Southsea on 7th April 1963, even managing to pick up a broken guitar string snapped by George Harrison during the performance.
Now 79 and living in Lichfield, Elizabeth also famously had the band sign her arm, much to her father’s concern, though the autographs were preserved safely in her book.
The album also contains additional Beatles signatures and autographs from a wide range of 1960s music stars, including The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, Del Shannon, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde and Shane Fenton, later known as Alvin Stardust.
Bidding took place both online and by telephone, with viewers watching from around the world as the hammer finally fell at £7,000, with the book selling to an online bidder in the UK.
Rob French, ephemera valuer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, said:
This fascinating book was a fabulous record of Elizabeth’s experience of one of British history’s most exciting periods for pop culture.
We were delighted with the result for this remarkable lady and thank her for sharing her story with us.
Elizabeth was in the room to witness the thrill of a live auction first-hand and it was wonderful to watch her reactions as the bids just kept on coming. She was delighted with the result, as are we all.
Buoyed by Elizabeth’s personal story and excellent provenance, the auction attracted a huge amount of interest culminating in an exciting sale and well-deserved hammer price, which is one of our best results for Beatles autographs. – Rob French, ephemera valuer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers
To arrange a free valuation of autographs, memorabilia or ephemera, email office@richardwinterton.co.uk or call 01543 251081.
More information is available at www.richardwinterton.co.uk.
