Photo signed by all four Beatles set to go under the hammer in Lichfield 'super set' auction
A photo of the Beatles autographed by all four members of the Fab Four is due to go on auction in Lichfield later this month.
The photo is due to go on auction at the Lichfield Auction Centre, Fradley Park, Lichfield, on September 29.
The photograph was signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and features the group in their youth, with each of their signatures on the back.
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The vendor, 74-year-old Chris Barrows, said his late brother Phil was handed the photo when he went to the Coventry Theatre in 1963 with their father Ron, who was Steinway's chief piano tuner for the Midlands area.
"My dad came home one day and said that he was going to tune the piano ahead of The Beatles' show and other performances," said Chris, who lives in Atherstone.
"I didn't go as I was more interested in football. But my brother had been playing guitar for six months, and he went along."
The Fab Four were already at the venue when the pair arrived.
Phil was offered a chance to see the band's dressing room, where the budding guitarist even got to 'jam' with the stars.
Chris said: "He played guitar with John Lennon and Paul McCartney and even had a go on Paul's left-handed bass."
Phil later returned with a signed photo by the group, with a personal message that read: "To Phil. Best wishes, from The Beatles."
Rob French, phemera valuer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, said: “This is a super set of all four autographs from the biggest band in the world, signed right on the cusp of Beatlemania.
"The precise date of the meeting is not remembered by the vendor, but it was possibly November 1963 as The Beatles played the Coventry Theatre on November 17 1963.
“What a thrill it must have been for this young music fan to not only meet The Fab Four but to get all their autographs with a personal dedication."
Estimated at between £1,500 and £2,000, the signed photograph will go under the hammer on Monday, September 29, with the auction beginning at 9am.
For more information on the photographs, visit the Richard Winterton website.
