Some odd George photos

According to the seller on eBay (who I have a sneaky suspicion to be someone we all have heard of and dislike), these photos of George were taken at a "fancy dress party" in Maui.  

You can purchase the photos here https://www.ebay.com/itm/374760842481?hash=item57417ca4f1:g:seQAAOSw9thkjbQT

The same seller is also selling a photograph of the mask George is wearing

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374630780566?hash=item5739bc0e96:g:w-gAAOSw7P9kOXoi
 

Tie for auction

 Over the years we have learned that while raising money in Philadelphia for the Helping Hands Charity, John Lennon auctioned off his sock and his hat.   Now, thanks to a current eBay listing, we learn that he also auctioned off his tie.  If you look closely, you can see in the photograph that John is holding the tie.  I personally could not find a photo from that day of John wearing this particular tie.  

Here is what,  Ted Vollmer,  the person that originally bought the tie directly from John says about that experience:

John Lennon spent a weekend in Philadelphia in May 1975 to assist local news anchor, Larry Kane with the Helping Hands Charity marathon.  He made appearances at WFIL studios to greet fans. 

I attended one of these events. Mr. Lennon, to garner money for charity, removed his own necktie from around his neck.  He held it up asking who would want to buy it. In spite of trying to act cool and calm, I was star-struck and rushed to the barricade offering my last $20 for the tie.  Mr. Lennon accepted the money for the charity and signed the tie. 

I have had this tie in a plastic bag for the past 46 years. I am now ready to release it. I will no longer have the tie, but I will always have a good story.  

The tie can now be yours for just under $10,000 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294805012602?hash=item44a3bf807a:g:LpEAAOSweFxiA~6n

The best thing in the World!!

 This is something that is currently up on ebay.     Here is the story the fans that obtained this autograph of George, Paul and Ringo wrote in her scrapbook.

This is it!!!  The best thing in the world!

How can I live?  It's just oo much!!!  This is a picture of Paul signing a book but guess what:  It's mine!  I still can't believe it!!  It's too good to be true.  This is the account of how this fab, wonderful, great, gear event came about -- whow! 

When The Beatles came to Washington D.C. for a performance at the Washington Coliseum on February 11 they had a press conference before it and my father went.  He met all the Beatles and got all their autographs on this book to expect John!  I wish I had his.  On the radio, they said it couldn't be done.  They said it was impossible to get their autograph, but I did!  Daddy says their [sic] real nice people and a lot of fun.  I still can't believe it!

P.S. Somebody else took the picture.  

 

 

On the backporch

This is an interesting photo (can anyone guess where I found it?? Haha).   Paul is wearing what I always think of as the Lepercon suit but he is standing with a fan on the back porch of his house on Cavendish Avenue in what I would guess to be 1968.    It looks like they are walking out of the backdoor.   I'd love to know the story behind this story.


Thanks to Tracy, we now have the photo without "EBAY" scribbled on it and information about the photo  (and it is better than I originally thought!)

Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tracks and an amusing provenance letter from the original recipient, which reads, in part: "The photo was taken in 1966. A group of us used to go the recording studio at Abbey road, most evenings and weekends after work. This particular Saturday, we went to studios, but the Beatles were not there. So we walked round to Paul’s house at St. Johns Wood. We hung around hoping to catch him, or any of the others till later, and we were sure he was in, so we rang the bell on the big gates. Eventually, he came out, slightly cross, and told us to ‘go home girls.' Well, of course, we didn’t, and we missed our last train home!! So we rang again and he eventually came out again, and we explained our problem, and after a while, he said we could sleep in his garage. He had a kettle etc. in there so we could have a drink. The photo was taken early the next morning outside his back door. I think because he was so used to seeing us all, was maybe why he let us stay."

The most beautiful couple ever

The Lollipop guild

I typically don't share photos from eBay with large watermarks on it, but I am making an exception because this is such an unusual photograph.    Let's just hope that "screengems" doesn't mind. 

Here is Ringo at the Capitol Records tower in 1975 when he was doing an interview.   And he is posing with three actors that were munchkins in the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz .

Signed by all four

In the 1970's a fan named Howard Siegal set out to get all four Beatles to sign a photograph for him.   This wasn't easy, of course because the Beatles had broken up and were no longer at the same place at the same time.    So Howard had his work cut out for him.


He decided he wanted a photograph of the Beatles at a press conference in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio signed by the four former Beatles and he set out to get his signatures.   He decided to have each Beatle signed with a different colored ink pen  because he had one of those auto-signed Beatles autograph pictures that had each signature in a different color and he liked how it looked.

Add caption

The first Beatle he met was Paul McCartney.   He met Paul at what seemed to be his favorite place to stay in the 1970's, the Stanhope Hotel in New York City  on May 24, 1976.   Paul was his typical friendly self and signed several items for Howard besides the photo that day.

Photo  taken by Howard Siegel  and posted with permission 

Next he met  George Harrison while he was in Chicago promoting the 33 1/3 album on November 15, 1976.   George wasn't in a very good mood and signed the photo and just his first name on another item.

photo copyrighted to Barb Tyler and posted with permission 

It wasn't too long before Howard got to get John Lennon's signature.   After waiting 12 long hours out in the cold and rain on December 20, 1976, Howard got to meet John and he wasn't disappointed.  John displayed his typical Lennon witt and went out of his way to sign several things for Howard and his friend, Andrew.

Howard with John Lennon.  Photo taken by Andrew Lukac and copyright Hoard Siegel.  Posted with permission

Ringo must have been the most difficult to track down, because Howard didn't snag his autograph until March 23, 1981 when Ringo and Barbara were guests on the Phil Donahue show in Chicago.   During commercial breaks fan were allowed to go up to Ringo and get his autograph.  

Photo by T. Alan Hartman .  Posted with permission 

And so he did it!   Howard is one of the few people that owned a photograph signed by all four Beatles after the break up of the band!     Sadly Howiardpassed away in November of 2014 and his Beatles autograph is currently up for auction on ebay.  It is being sold by Howard's friend that was with him when he got Ringo's autograph on the picture.

If you are interested, please check it out.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/222369194071?ul_noapp=true

Sometimes think it's me

This great photo of Paul on the set of the Strawberry Field Forever promo is from Tracks UK on ebay. 

Early photo traders

I love things like this!   We know that this is a photograph of John Lennon with Margaret Hunt, who wrote one of my absolute favorite book about a fan meeting the Beatles.    However, when you look at the autograph on the back, you see that John made it out to "Marie" and not to "Marg."

It seems like this photo was from the earliest days of Beatles photo trading.   I love this because I still to this very day trade Beatles photos with other fans.   Every week I am trading rare Beatles photos on facebook messenger or email.   But in 1962, fans traded photos in person.    Fans would get photos taken with one of the Beatles and get extra prints made and trade them for photos that others fans had taken of themselves with one of the guys.   Marg and Marie traded photos.   Marie got this one of Marg and John, which she got signed and Marg left with one of Marie and one of the guys.  


This photo and autograph can be yours for $5,000 (or best offer) on ebay right now!

A Mad Day out for autographs

Ebay isn't always the best source for buying authentic high-end Beatles collectibles.   Unless it is a reputable dealer, such as Tracks, I advice fans to avoid ebay and look at an auction house for high end Beatles items such as autographs and clothing.

However, this appears to be the "real deal" and  was excited to see it listed (although I could never afford it).  

You remember the photos taken on what is known as the Beatles "Mad Day Out" of the guys standing behind a gate and there is a group of people of all ages standing with them?   It is sort of a "find the Beatles" photo and I have always wondered who the people were.   How did they just happen to get into a photo with the Beatles?

Well we now know a bit more about this.   Those gate photos were taken at the St. Pancras Old Church and Garden.  The main caretaker of the church was a man named Mr. Barnard.  In the photograph is his wife, their daughter, Jennifer, and two of Jennifer's three sons.

Jennifer's mother was able to get George, Paul and Ringo's autograph and interestingly enough, something I never noticed was that the older woman, who we now know to be Mrs. Barnard is actually holding a piece of paper and a felt marker that was used for the autographs.   She is holding a Threetles autograph in the photos.

Mom and Dad Harrison

This great photo of the Harrison parents was taken in 1964 and is currently available from Tracks on ebay. 

Sgt. Harrison

Another amazing candid snapshot during the Sgt. Pepper recording period being sold right now on ebay by Tracks!  

The Cellar Boys

Tracks has been selling some pretty amazing Beatles photos on ebay the past month or so.    One of the photo that they currently have up for auction  is this snapshot of Paul, George and John performing at the Cavern Club.    As I have read in Yesterday:  Memories of a Beatles fan, the Cavern fans didn't bring cameras into the club very often and because of that reason, very few  candid photos of the guys performing in the club exist. So what a treat this one is!   I wish I could just jump into the photograph and hear what they were singing.    A song where Paul sang lead apparently.  

Judging just by the look of John's hair, this photo looks to me to have been taken in August of 1962.  However, that is just a pure guess---anyone that knows better please politely let me know.

NEMS

Photo by Michael Ward

This amazing John Lennon standing inside NEMS in February 1963  is available from Tracks on ebay.   It is getting pretty pricy, but I can see why---what a great photo!

Two photographers

This is a great photo!   And it is for sale on ebay if anyone is interested.

We love you Beatles

The Beatles' Carnegie Hall concert was a strange one. Not the actual concert, mind you, but the set up of the two shows.   First of all there were fans sitting on the stage with the Beatles (some of them recording the show with their home movie camera), and then there were all of these fans sitting way up in a tiered balcony.   I know this is fine for theater, but for a Beatles concert it always looked to be a little dangerous.  

Fans took advantage of the balcony and made large signs and banner to hang from them to get the boys' attention.   One of those signs has been saved all of these years and is currently available on ebay.  As we always see these photographs in black and white, the pure brightness of the colors somewhat surprised me.   There is no way the Beatles could not have seen this "We love you" sign while they were giving the concert.  The sign, at 6 feet tall, is bigger than any of the members of the band!

Here is what the seller says about the sign:

As a 15 year old Beatlemaniac, I'd prepared for the event by making a huge sign which I hung over the balcony of my second-tier box. In neon spray paint were the carefully blocked out words "We Love You". The six foot tall, heart shaped sign attracted a lot of attention. I subsequently found pictures of it in three fan magazines, and I am sure there were more.

I am offering for sale the very sign. It has spent the majority of the last 50 years stored in my father's studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Maybe the most amazing thing about the sign is that it has lasted for the past 50 years and is a piece of Beatle fan history that really should be in a museum.

Thumbs aloft for the last press conference

The Beatles at the last press conference that they ever gave as a group.   This was in Seattle, Washington on August 25, 1966.   They do not look too happy, do they?   They look sick and tired of press conferences.  

Help snaps

These are currently for sale on ebay.  Pretty awesome behind the scenes snapshots, don't you think?

Simply beautiful

This beautiful photo of John is up for sale on ebay right now.   According to the seller the photograph is of John being interviewed in Los Angeles during the 1965 tour. but we know it is in San Francisco during the 1964 tour. 

Magical Mystery Fan club party

I know that I have been focused on the 50th anniversary of Beatles events lately, but I wanted to take a moment to remember an event that occurred 46 years ago today.   It is one of the events that I would set my time machine to go back in time and I would attend.    On December 17, 1967 George Harrison and John Lennon showed up at a party for area Beatle fan club secretaries (and one guest).   The area secretaries were given an early viewing of the Magical Mystery tour film that was to be released 9 days later.    I am not sure if they got to see it in color or not.   They then had what I always have known to be a "mixer" where you have some dessert and something light to drink and walk around to chatting to others.     During this time, George and John showed up unexpectedly to these fans.     The two Beatles signed autographs, posed for photos and chatted with their guests.    Each person there was given the 1967 fan club Christmas album and the Magical Mystery tour EP.   

Last week on ebay one of the autographed Christmas albums was sold for $2,375.  Two photographs were also sold along with the autographs.    Here is the story that was with the auction from the person who obtained the signatures in person

The flexi record was given to me on 17 December 1967 when I went with a friend (who was Secretary of the Beatles Fan Club in the North) to see the preview of Magical Mystery Tour, at Hanover Grand in London. 

We saw Magical Mystery Tour and were ushered into a reception room where we were offered tea and the most spectacular cream cakes I had ever seen in my life.
Whilst drinking the tea and eating the cakes, John Lennon and George Harrison came in - no one was expecting that! Also, Spencer Davis appeared (from the Spencer Davis Group).
Immediately all the girls flocked round them.
I then thought I would go up to the professional photographer, who was going round, and ask if he would take a picture of me with John Lennon. I said to him I would happily pay! - the photographer ignored me.
I went back and had another cake and then thought blow this, I will ask the photographer again, which I did.
He still ignored me, so then I went up to John Lennon and said "I have asked your photographer if he would kindly take a photo of me with you and I have offered to pay, and he ignored me twice".
John Lennon then beckoned to the photographer to come over, and take a photo of him and I. Then he beckoned George to come over too for a photograph.
The photographer took my name and address and a few days later, I received two black and white glossy photos with a compliment slip from the photographer, which I wish to keep for myself.
When we were at the private screening, we were given this Christmas flimsy record which was sent to Fan Club members. I can't even recall playing the record, it is excellent condition and on the sleeve it has the signatures of George Harrison, John Lennon and Spencer Davis'.