Rare Beatles record set for auction

A rare Beatles 10-inch record is to go under the hammer after it was discovered in a loft.

The vinyl featuring the tracks Till There Was You and Hello Little Girl has been in the possession of Gerry And The Pacemakers pianist Les Maguire for over 50 years after The Fab Four’s manager Brian Epstein gave him the disc in 1963.

It was made at London’s HMV store on Oxford Street and given to producer George Martin at EMI in a bid to secure a record deal for the band in the early 60s. It features Epstein’s handwriting, with Maguire reporting it was the disc ”that sparked the Beatles’ success.”

Maguire tells the BBC: “I’ve never been a big fan of memorabilia, but people seem to like it. It’s no good to me so I’ve given it to my granddaughter, who is hoping to buy a house after passing her accountancy exams. I hope it goes for a good price.”

The disc will be sold via Omega Auctions in Warrington, UK, on March 22, and is expected to fetch upwards of £10,000.

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Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald newspapers, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.