Beatles memorabilia including autographs and never-before-seen photos of Paul McCartney to go under the hammer

Two complete sets of Beatles memorabilia are set to bring in thousands at auction. The collection includes autograph books containing all four signatures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Other items include two Parlophone Records postcards of The Beatles and never-before-seen black and white snapshots of Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

The autographs and photos were acquired in 1963 by fans attending shows across the country. A security manager, his wife and their 13-year-old daughter, Patricia, were at the Beatles’ first concert in Nottingham on 7 March 1963. They met the Fab Four and obtained their signatures across two pages of Patricia’s autograph book. Paul, George and Ringo wrote in pencil, while Lennon chose to scribe - “To Pat, Love from John Lennon xxx” - in blue ink.

“It’s been a bit of a hidden treasure. We knew they had met The Beatles, but we didn’t realise my mum still had the book because they had moved house a number of times,” said Patricia’s daughter Bridget Gray. “My grandad got to meet a lot of celebrities in his job, and the autograph book is a wonderful piece of memorabilia.”

Another fan Gwen Danks got her autograph at the stage door before a performance at The Coventry Theatre on 17 November 1963, when she was 14 years old. “We were waiting outside the theatre when a coach pulled up to bring the stars in. George Harrison was in a car. Seeing The Beatles in person was brilliant,” she said. Gwen also recalled taking a photograph of Paul McCartney and George Harrison on her brother’s camera. She said: “It was one of those cheap plastic cameras. I pinched it for the afternoon and was trying not to use up all the film!”

Both collections will go under the hammer on 6 June, in Lichfield, Staffordshire, via Richard Winterton Auctioneers and are estimated to fetch between £3,000 and £4,000 with a starting bid of £1,800. More information about the sale can be found via the auctioneer’s website at www.richardwinterton.co.uk.

Earlier this month, A handwritten letter from Paul McCartney to fellow Beatles bandmate John Lennon and actress Mia Farrow went under the hammer in North Yorkshire. The letter dates back to when The Beatles were studying meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India, in the late 1960s. It features Paul McCartney’s signature and comes with a certificate of authenticity from Heroes and Legends.