A signed copy of the Beatles' White Album is the star consignment to Tracks Auction's November 22 sale in the UK.
 This is the only fully-signed copy of the White Album that has surfaced so far |
An extremely rare find, the fully signed US stereo copy is valued at £60,000-80,000 ($96,504-128,673), yet may well exceed this given its desirability.
The album has been signed by all of the band members, with the formation of each signature described as "virtually perfect". George Harrison and Ringo Starr have both signed in blue pen, while Paul McCartney and John Lennon have signed in black, with Lennon adding a caricature of him and Yoko Ono and dating it "Dec 1973".
It is thought that Lennon most likely signed the album in the USA, as he left England for New York in August 1971. The remaining autographs are fitting with the band members' signatures from 1973/1974.
Signed Beatles albums are remarkably rare, given the band's incredible popularity, as many fans at the time brought autograph books to signings and concerts, as LPs were often too unwieldy. Please Please Me - the band's first UK release - is most commonly found, with roughly 75 known to exist, according to Autograph Magazine's census.
Late period Beatles signed albums are the scarcest of all, as the band had lost interest in signing for fans by this point, and had stopped performing live. US albums are ever rarer, with only around 12 in total known to exist according to the auction house.
Only this copy of the White Album has surfaced so far, making it among the most desirable of all Beatles collectibles. It has spent the past 40 years nestled in the storage cabinet of a 1960s radiogram in South London, with the owner unaware that the signatures are genuine.
Tracks Auctions have graded the LP very good for condition, though some staining and seam splitting is visible.
Paul Fraser Collectibles is currently offering an extremely rare signed copy of A Hard Day's Night, alongside a superb collection of Beatles memorabilia.
