The Beatles: 'Very rare' handwritten 'Hey Jude' lyrics sell for £732,000 at auction

Beatles lyrics to “Hey Jude” handwritten by Paul McCartney have sold for $910,000 (£732,000) at auction.

Three hundred items were on offer at Julien’s Auctions to mark the 50th anniversary of the band’s split, but McCartney’s note was the biggest seller.

It went for nine times its original estimate, which was $180,000 (£145,000).

The item was described by musician specialist Jason Watkins as “very rare and valuable”.

He added: “These handwritten lyrics were used in the studio as a guide when they were recording it.”

Another top seller was Ringo Starr‘s bass drumhead, embossed with the band’s logo and used on their tour in 1964 – it fetched for $200,000 (£161,000).

Other items to sell included a drawing by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which went for $93,750 (£75,000), and an ashtray used by Starr while recording at Abbey Road. It fetched $32,500 (£26,000).

The actual wooden stage the Fab Four performed on before they hit the big time at Liverpool’s Lathom Hall was sold for $26,600 (£21,000).

Julien’s Auctions had planned to proceed with the bidding in New York, but organisers were forced to move it online following the coronavirus lockdown.

Earlier this year, a former musician appearing on Antiques Roadshow was shocked to discover a guitar given to him by George Harrison was valued at £400,000.

The item was described as ‘by far the most expensive thing ever seen” on the show by expert John Baddeley.

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