A rare demonstration record that launched the career of legendary British band The Beatles has fetched a great price at an auction on Tuesday. Bidders from China, Europe and North America tried to outbid one another via phone and online bids at the Omega Auction House in Warrington, Northern England.
The auctioneers had placed a reserve of 10,000 pounds — about $14,207 — on the record, found in a house near Liverpool after being locked away and wrapped in paper, for more than 50 years. A collector from the North West of England became its new owner, with a final bid of £77,550, i.e. $110,225.
The demo disc features a label hand-written by Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein and the songs, Hello Little Girl and Till There Was You. It was cut in 1962 on a 78 rpm acetate disc in the personal recording department of the HMV music store on Oxford Street. Since then, the record has remained forgotten at the house of Les Maguire — a musician from rival Liverpool 60’s band Gerry and the Pacemakers. Maguire said the record could be seen as the record “that sparked The Beatles’ success.”
After being made at the HMV store, the disc was then handed to George Martin, the future Beatles producer, to help win a recording contract with the EMI record label. Martin died just a few weeks ago, leading to tributes from the two surging Beatles, McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr. Maguire — now 74 — was given the disc by Epstein in 1963, after it had been returned to him by Martin. He described the record as a “one off.”
After re-discovering the rare record in his attic, Maguire gave it to his granddaughter, who plans to put the proceeds from its sale towards buying a house. “It’s no good to me so I have given it to my granddaughter. She is hoping to buy a house after passing her accountancy exams,” said Maguire. “I hope it goes for a good price.”
Leading Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn said, “The uniqueness of the record is enhanced by Epstein’s handwriting on the labels and the recognition of what it led to, making it one of the rarest and most collectable of all Beatles records.” Ian Shirley, record collector and rare record price guide editor, shared, “This is one of those Holy Grail items. This acetate is a unique item that, in many respects, helped Brian Epstein to get the ball rolling to musical world domination. It will fascinate Beatles collectors worldwide and no doubt, attract bids from those with deep pockets.”
“The record has been on display at the Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool and the purchaser may leave it on display there for a while,” said auction director Karen Fairweather. “Altogether, we had more than 200 lots of Beatles memorabilia and many went for more than 10 times the estimated prices. It shows the international interest there is in the Beatles,” she added.
