Famed drummer of the self proclaimed best band in the world , Ringo Starr and The Beatles respectively, is offering a chance to nab some sentimental and high value Beatles memorabilia. Although, some of it is so much more than memorabilia.
Ringo has recently published a book of rarely, if ever, seen photographs from his early life pre-Beatles and his life with the Beatles. The book titled, Photograph , comes out today and has sparked a renewed interest in the iconic band. Some of his pictures are being featured in the National Portrait Gallery in London as a sort of book launch. He found the negatives in boxes that he hadn’t looked in or thought of in nearly 30 years, according to The Guardian .
A happy find as Ringo and his wife, Barbara Bach, were cleaning out the massive amounts of storage they have accumulated over the years. Lancaster Online reports that Starr didn’t realize the amount of stuff he actually held onto until the Grammy museum asked him to do an exhibit on his life in 2012. From there, Starr and his wife determined that they needed to get rid of the things they hadn’t used or looked at in 20 or 30 years. It turns out that included over 800 items of memorabilia from the famed London group.
In addition to going through storage units (yes, that’s plural) that he owns, he and his wife made the decision to close down their country house and an apartment that they own. The average person would have a few items to hastily be rid of after downsizing, but to have two living spaces as well as storage units to deal with, the inevitable question came up as the Washington Post reported , “We thought, ‘What are we going to do with all this stuff?’”
Starr and Bach contacted Julien’s Auctions and got to work on the best course of action. There are everyday household items like kitchenware and china; things to be expected of a home auction. Being a former Beatle, however, there are some one of a kind finds in this auction.
The AP listed some of the highlights and they include: a 2000 Mercedes Coupe first owned by Harrison but transferred to Starr when George died, Ringo’s first 1963 Ludwig Oyster black pearl three-piece drum kit used in both performances and recordings, a seven-tom drum kit commissioned for Starr by George, and Lennon’s 1964 Rose-Morris Rickenbacker. If you have a deep love of the Beatles and a starting amount of $10,000 you may be able to show up and look at items. Chances are they will fetch a price far above the starting bid. Of course, there could always be some hidden gem extraordinarily undervalued.
The auction is being held December 4-5 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California and a portion of the money earned will go to Ringo and Barbara’s Lotus Children Foundation. For a high price and an excellent cause, you, or a group of you, could own a scared piece of pop culture history.
[Image credit via Mike Coppola/Getty Images]
