Beatles autographs from Birmingham TV studio sell for £8,000 at an auction

Paul McCarney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison signed the autographs while they tucked into a chippy lunch in Birmingham in 1963
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

A set of Beatles autographs which were smudged by John Lennon’s greasy fingers as he ate fish and chips have sold for nearly £8,000.

A nervous teenage girl plucked up the courage to bag the Fab Four’s signatures as they tucked into a chippy lunch at ABC Weekend Television Studios in Aston in 1963.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It resulted in George Harrison’s autograph including John Lennon’s greasy finger smudge as the stars penned their names mid-lunch.

The message reads: "love from The Beatles. Ringo Starr xxx - Paul McCartney xxx - George Harrison xxx - John Lennon xxxx".

The 59-year-old book, which was also signed by the group’s manager Brian Epstein, was expected to fetch between £4,000-£4,500 at auction.

But a three-way international bidding war saw the price rocket before the hammer came down on the winning bid of £7,760 at an auction yesterday (Wednesday, June 15).

The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000
The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000

Who is the Beatles autographs seller and what have they said about meeting The Beatles at the height of their fame?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The seller, a 73-year-old retired teacher from Kenilworth, Warwickshire,, said: “It was an excellent, exceptional auction result. I’m delighted - thrilled. And I’ve got a special thank-you. It’s for Paul, Ringo, George and John.”

She met her idols after her friend’s mum blagged back-stage passes before recording a TV programme.

She added: “I was really, really lucky - and privileged - to get those autographs that day.

"I remember absolutely everything about it all. It was a lovely summer’s day 59 years ago. I was only 14 at the time. My friend’s mother worked in the design department at the ABC Weekend Television Studios in Aston, and the Beatles were filming there on June 23, 1963.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"They were in the city to pre-record a performance for TV show Thank Your Lucky Stars which was broadcast on June 29, 1963.

“My friend’s mother arranged for us to go backstage. We walked into the canteen and there they were – The Beatles. It was pretty quiet. No one was bothering them. I suppose people had been told to leave them alone. They were queuing up at the food counter and they all plumped for fish and chips.

“We were very nervous but managed to pluck up the courage to approach them. I went over to Paul McCartney first and wished him happy birthday. His birthday’s on June 18, which was a few days earlier.

The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000
The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000

“He signed my autograph book first, wrote ‘love from The Beatles’ and passed it round the table. John was the last to sign. They’d been picking up chips with their fingers and I remember him licking his lips and rubbing his fingers on his trousers to try to get the grease off before he signed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"He still put a greasy smudge on George Harrison’s name. It was one of those old blotchy Biros. I suppose the inky smudge contains John Lennon’s DNA.

“They were all so lovely to us, chatty and kind. It was very early days for The Beatles so perhaps the novelty of signing autographs hadn’t worn off. We could hear loads of screaming girls outside the window of the canteen hoping for a glimpse of them.

"We watched the band perform for the show and you couldn’t hear the music because there was so much screaming going on in the audience. On the same day we bumped into Brian Epstein walking down a staircase. He was over the moon to give us his autograph – really delightful.

The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000
The Beatles autographs from a visit to ABC Weekend TV studios in Aston, Birmingham, in 1963 sell for £8,000

“I’ve treasured the autographs for decades and kept them carefully wrapped up in polythene, usually on a book shelf. They’ve moved house with me many times. I only sold them because my friend, whose mother got us backstage that day, lost her set of Beatles autographs which she got at the same time.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I plan to share the proceeds with her. It seems only fair. Without her mother I would never have them. It’s time for someone else to enjoy and treasure them.”

The Beatles during rehearsals for the 1963 Royal Variety Performance, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, the year after they released their first single 'Love Me Do'. Picture: PA.The Beatles during rehearsals for the 1963 Royal Variety Performance, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, the year after they released their first single 'Love Me Do'. Picture: PA.
The Beatles during rehearsals for the 1963 Royal Variety Performance, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, the year after they released their first single 'Love Me Do'. Picture: PA.

What has Hansons Auctioneers said about the sale of The Beatles autographs?

Claire Howell, music memorabilia consultant at Hansons Auctioneers, said: “There was strong interest in these autographs because the fight-and-chips story and provenance was so fantastic.

“A phone bidder and people competing on two different online bidding platforms battled for the lot.

“It’s a wonderful piece of music memorabilia and I’m pleased to see it achieve the price it deserved for our client.”

A message from the editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.