Even the greats need to practice... Including The Beatles, whose latest collectibles success on the auction website eBay was the $7,278.98 sale of a memorabilia rehearsal ticket.
The ticket is allegedly from the Fab Four's afternoon run-through prior to one of their landmark Ed Sullivan show appearances in 1964.
According to the seller, the rare ticket was distributed by CBS for a Beatles rehearsal before the group's second appearance on Sullivan's show during their first visit to America.
The Beatles' rehearsal took place in Miami, Florida, at the Deauville Hotel on 16 February 1964.
According to the seller's eBay listing: "This ticket is for their afternoon rehearsal show at 2:30pm. There were only a few hundred fans (and tickets) for this show."
 This 1964 Ed Sullivan Show rehearsal ticket holds a Fab secret... |
'The Beatles' name isn't actually mentioned anywhere on the ticket itself. Just the location, date, and the ticket's specific use for "rehearsal only".
Because of this, those who acquired this ticket second-hand over the years without knowing its provenance may not have realised they owned a potentially valuable piece of Beatles memorabilia.
The eBay seller, whose approval rating stands at 100%, doesn't mention how he acquired the ticket. Nevertheless, he rightly asserts that such a ticket is "among the rarest of all Beatles concert tickets in existence."
Paul Fraser Collectibles always hesitates to recommend eBay as a source for authentic collectibles.
Yet 46 bidders didn't need further convincing about this rehearsal ticket, eventually pushing its value up to $7,278.98.
Bed sheets from The Beatles' first US visit are currently for sale priced at £595 - a fraction of $7,279 brought by the above rehearsal ticket from the same tour
One seller whose stock is definitely authentic is a asmallpieceofhistory.com. The online collectibles retailer's various small and affordable Beatles memorabilia items for sale include bed sheets slept in by all four Beatles at a Detroit hotel.
These too date from The Beatles' first visit to America as the Fab Four planted the seeds of Beatlemania - a craze whose impact is still felt on the collectibles markets to this day.
Consequently, values of Beatles memorabilia have consistently risen in recent times.
In the last year alone, the average value of a Beatles signed album page has increased from £8,500 to £8,950 - that's 5.29% - while a signed photograph autographed by all for members rose from £22,500 to £24,000 - 6.67%.
Watch this space for more upcoming news from the Beatles memorabilia markets.
