PC1. The Beatles – Early Parlophone Promo Card, Signed January 6, 1963

On January 1, 1963, The Beatles flew from Hamburg to London after concluding a 13-night residency at Hamburg’s Star-Club the previous evening. With only one night’s rest in London and barely a breather in between, the group embarked the morning of January 2nd on a limited 5-date tour of Scotland. They caught a scheduled flight to Edinburgh where their devoted roadie and driver Neil Aspinall was waiting with their van to drive them to their first gig in the town of Keith. However, at the last minute, a raging snow and ice storm forced a diversion of the flight from Edinburgh to Aberdeen. Because the roads were virtually impassable, the first night’s show in Keith was cancelled. It was an inauspicious start to their first ‘proper’ tour. After playing shows in Elgin, Dingwall and Bridge of Allan from the 3rd to the 5th, they wrapped up the tour on the 6th at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen.

For offer here is a black and white Parlophone Records promotional photo card signed on the reverse by all four members of The Beatles on that last night of the tour. John, Paul and George have signed in dark blue ballpoint pen and Ringo Starr has signed in black ballpoint pen. Each signature is clear, bold and not rushed in any way and are textbook examples of The Beatles’ autographs from early 1963. The photo side of the card features an image of the group in the studio at Abbey Road during their recording session for ‘Love Me Do’. Taken September 4, 1962 by famed Beatles photographer Dezo Hoffmann, it shows the group in their final incarnation at the very beginning of their storied career. George Harrison sports a black eye ‘bestowed’ on him outside the Cavern Club by an irate fan who was retaliating for the band’s decision to dump drummer Pete Best for Ringo Starr less than three weeks before the photo was snapped. This promo card is one of the first depicting Ringo as a member of the band.

Accompanying the piece is a letter from the original recipient, who has written: “January 1963 – My friend and I went, as usual, to the ‘Sunday Night Concert’ at the Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen. Appearing one night was an up and coming group – The Beatles. My cousin, who was in Aberdeen on a visit from Canada, introduced himself to the Manager of the Beach Ballroom, as a DJ in Canada. He was invited to meet The Beatles, and my friend and I were invited too. Had we thought that these four young men, sitting drinking tea and coffee backstage, would reach the heights that The Beatles did, then we might have paid more attention to what they were saying, rather than just falling hook line and sinker for John Lennon. Isobel Henderson”. Signed pieces with written provenance like this are among the most desirable to own, enabling the collector to pinpoint the exact time and place of the signing.

Autographs from this short five-night tour are extremely rare and sets that can be tied to a specific date and venue are even more uncommon. The card measures 8.75cm x 14.5cm (3.5 inches x 5.7 inches). There is light creasing, wear and toning to the card and a 5mm tear to the bottom center. Otherwise, the card is in very good condition. This is a unique opportunity to acquire a beautiful autograph set signed just a short time after The Beatles’ final lineup was established.....$10,000

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