Autographed 45 of The Beatles' "Please Please Me" May Bring $40,000 at Heritage Auctions
DALLAS, Texas - A 45 rpm copy of the second single released in the United Kingdom by all four members of the Beatles is expected to earn top lot honors at Heritage Auctions’ Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction March 18 in Dallas.
The record includes recordings of Ask Me Why and Please Please Me (est. $40,000). John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all signed the Ask Me Why B-side of the record; McCartney and Harrison also signed the reverse side, which features an A-side recording of Please Please Me. Given to its original owner at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, the single was released Jan. 11, 1963, 13 days before a signing session at the NEMS record shop, where the signatures likely were acquired.
A photo of the Fab Four signed by all four members of the band (est. $18,000) also is expected to draw heavy interest at the auction. The 8-by-10 glossy black-and-white picture, taken in early 1965 in the Bahamas, is signed with a felt-tip pen and includes a certificate of authenticity from Heritage Auctions and Tracks LTD.
An original pressing of the Help! Album Signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison of the Beatles (Capitol MAS 2386, 1965), (est. $12,000) will be available to collectors in the auction. The Gatefold Mono LP was the band’s eighth album for Capitol and the soundtrack for the band’s second major motion picture. It contains seven Beatles songs from the film with six instrumental pieces interspersed.
Savvy collectors and Beatles fans alike are expected to clamor for an extremely rare piece of memorabilia: a Postcard Signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Substitute Drummer Jimmie Nicol (est. $10,000). In addition to the band members’ signatures, this 3.5-by-5.5-inch postcard includes the inscription: “To Judy / Best Wishes / Jimmie Nicol” that was written by Nicol, who was filling in on the band’s Australian tour for regular drummer Ringo Starr, who was ill with tonsillitis and stayed home during much of the tour. According to the accompanying letter of provenance, the signatures were acquired by a 24-year-old steward who remembers serving Lennon two boiled eggs for breakfast aboard the plane to Sydney.
Other Beatles-related items include, but are not limited to:
- A Ringo Starr RIAA White Matte Award: (est. $9,600)
- A Beatle-Signed Swing Along Souvenir Brochure with a letter of authenticity from R.A. (U.K. 1963): (est. $8,000)
- A Beatles-Signed Album Page (Liverpool, 1963): (est. $6,000)
- Beatles - The Introduction An Original Oil Painting by Eric Cash: (est. $4,000)
- A 1965 U.K. Performance-Used Ringo Starr Drumstick: (est. $4,000)
A group of images used to market Mötley Crüe’s 1987 “Girls, Girls, Girls” World Tour (est. $16,000) includes three pieces showing hand-painted airbrush work applied to a matte board and mounted on one-inch Styrofoam; two of the images are of a “stripper girl” and the third depicts a “rebel rocker” who strongly resembles Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx. Each piece is autographed by the artist (“Tyler”) in the lower right corner and was used for tour merchandise for one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time.
Signatures from Davie Jones (David Bowie) and the King Bees / The Animals on a 1964 Album Page (est. $7,000) commemorate Bowie’s short-lived second band, the King Bees, which produced one single - Liza Jane / Louie Louie Go home - in June 1964. Jones left the band shortly thereafter, eventually changed his name to David Bowie, and became an iconic singer, songwriter and actor who was revered for his innovative creativity. The back of the album page features the signatures of the members of The Animals: Eric Burdon, Alan Price, Chas Chandler, Hilton Valentine and John Steel.
A Pair of Sunglasses Michael Jackson Wore On Stage ($6,500) during a Victory Tour performance Sept. 8, 1984 in Denver were given by the late “King of Pop” to the Los Angeles Daily News, and subsequently to a fan in a newspaper contest. This pair of black, metal-rimmed aviator shares are identical to those Jackson wore at the 1984 Grammy Awards and are almost universally identified with his look during that era. Also included are a non-original black satin bag and a black hard case, as well as a portion of the Los Angeles Daily News from Nov. 23, 1984, featuring Jackson and the contest.
A collection of memorabilia from the estate of entertainer/producer/television personality David Gest also is expected to draw attention from numerous collectors. Among the top Gest items are:
- A 2001 “Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Celebration” Poster Signed by Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Gest and Liza Minelli, among others: est. $1,600
- A Bob Dylan Nashville Skyline RIAA White Mat Gold Record Sales Award (Columbia XSM 139756, 1969): est. $1,500
- A Michael Jackson-Signed Sing-a-Long Sound Machine (LJN, 1984): est. $1,200
- A Lady Gaga-Signed Color Photo: est. $1,000
- An Oversized Autograph Book Signed by Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Numerous Movie Stars (early 1990s), including Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, Milton Berle, Buddy Ebsen and Brooke Shields: est. $1,000
- A Michael Jackson-Signed Check to David Gest Productions, Inc.: est. $1,000
- A Photo from The Preacher’s Wife, signed by Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington: est. $1,000
A Reel-to-Reel Prince Demo Tape with a Tracklist Handwritten by the Artist, circa 1976/77, (est. $6,000) was recorded at Sound 80 Recording Studio in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis prior to the recording of his landmark debut LP. The tape included three tracks: Just As Long As We’re Together, My Love Is Forever and Jelly Jam. The first two tracks were rerecorded on Prince’s first album, with Jelly Jam being modified and added as a coda to Just As Long As We’re Together.
Other top lots include, but are not limited to:
