AN autograph book featuring the signatures of all four Beatles plus George Harrison’s broken guitar string has sold at auction for £7,000.
The album went under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers.
The signatures were obtained by Portsmouth teenager Elizabeth Salt – or Liz McBrierty, as she was then – who encountered John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr when the group played the Savoy Ballroom in Southsea in April 1963.
Super-fan Elizabeth, now 79 and living in Lichfield, even had the band sign her arm – much to the later consternation of her dad.
“We were sat around the stage when George Harrison broke his guitar string and I picked it up
“Afterwards they went into a room and we all just piled in. That’s when I got their autographs on my left arm – I just held it out asking them to sign and they did.
“I was still at school and wanted to show all my friends the next day, but when I got home my dad said ‘you’ll get blood poisoning’ and made me wash it straight off. I was heartbroken.”
Fortunately, the fanatical teen still had the autographs signed in her book – and George’s snapped string.
Other 1960s stars in the book include The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, Del Shannon, Bobby Vee, Tony Orlando, Dion, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Mark Wynter, Eden Kane and Shane Fenton, who was later reborn as Alvin Stardust.
The lot eventually sold to an online bidder based in the UK.
Rob French, ephemera valuer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, said:
“This fascinating book was a fabulous record of Elizabeth’s experience of one of British history’s most exciting periods for pop culture.
“We were delighted with the result for this remarkable lady and thank her for sharing her story with us.
“Elizabeth was in the room to witness the thrill of a live auction first-hand and it was wonderful to watch her reactions as the bids just kept on coming. She was delighted with the result, as are we all.
“Buoyed by Elizabeth’s personal story and excellent provenance, the auction attracted a huge amount of interest culminating in an exciting sale and well-deserved hammer price, which is one of our best results for Beatles autographs.”
