An original and extremely rare 1963 mono copy of the Beatles'  ‘Please Please Me’ album, signed by the Fab Four, sold April 18 during an eBay auction for nearly $25,000. Finding a copy of their debut record in decent condition is difficult enough, so to find it autographed with full signatures by all four members is the ultimate score.

The seller breaks down the odds of finding records such as this, determining that there are probably only 50 fully signed Beatles albums in existence. Paul McCartney and John Lennon both signed their names with “love” in royal blue ink whereas George Harrison and Ringo Starr signed their names in midnight blue ink. Still, love was in the air as every Beatle signed his name followed by kisses, in the form of the symbolic: xxx. Hopefully the owner’s favorite Beatle was McCartney because a closer look at the image reveals that McCartney signed his name with an extra (x) kiss.

The Parlophone PMC-1202 copy was listed in great condition and comes with Beatles autograph authority Frank Caizazzo’s stamp of approval. The autographs were signed in May of 1963 and though it’s really the cover that’s of interest in this auction, the seller upped the ante by including a good but “scuffy with scratches” copy of the original black and gold label record to pair with the prized cover.

Originally posted for .99 cents, the buyer emphasizes that “there’s just something about having a beautifully signed example of the album that launched it all for the boys back in early 1963” and we’d have to agree. Most collectors would have to cash in their entire collections to own a piece such as this but when it comes to the Beatles; it appears that the bar can never be raised high enough.

Interestingly enough, the winning bid came in on a dark horse, bidding for the first time since the ten-day auction started and winning this Beatles nugget by a mere hundred bucks and a three-second leeway. Score indeed.

 

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