Beatles autographs make £2,300 at Halls auction

A BEATLES fan literally had a 'ticket to ride' when she put a set of autographs of the Fab Four up for auction on Friday.

The autographs, contained on a Whitchurch Civic Hall ticket stub, sold for £2,300 at Halls in Shrewsbury after keen competition from two bidders.

The local buyer, a keen fan of The Beatles, held off competition from an eBay bidder.

The owner, who lives in Oswestry, collected the autographs when The Beatles played at Whitchurch Civic Hall in 1962, before they became famous.

Stewart Orr, toys expert at Halls, explained the woman had attended the concert with a friend at about the time of the group's first single, Love Me Do, which was released on October 5, 1962.

"She arrived early and was sitting in the foyer at Whitchurch Civic Hall waiting for a friend when Paul McCartney came in and asked if they wanted to meet the rest of the group backstage," he said.

"The only thing that the girls had to sign was the stub of a ticket for a concert by Chris Barber's Jazz Band. As an extra bonus, the owner of the autographs got to kiss John Lennon.

"The Beatles had just released their first single and were still carrying their own equipment to and from their van."