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Widower finds Beatles photo worth thousands in late wife’s belongings

"Though we sometimes talked about The Beatles, she never mentioned the memorabilia."

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By Bradley Stokes via SWNS

A widower who was sorting through his late wife’s belongings was stunned to find her secret collection of Beatles autographs and pictures worth thousands of dollars.

Clive Goodchild, 67, was going through his wife Celia’s bureau when he stumbled across her childhood scrapbook.

It contained a rare photograph of the Fab Four which was signed by Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Celia, who died aged 65 in 2019, made the scrapbook in the 1960s at the height of Beatlemania.

Incredibly, she never told her husband-of-34-years about her collection despite the pair regularly discussing The Beatles.

Celia Goodchild's scrapbook and rare Beatles' photo. (Hansons via SWNS)

Clive unearthed the treasure trove of memorabilia while he cleared out his home in East Molesey, Surrey, while preparing to downsize.

Retired banker Clive said: “I found Celia’s old Beatles scrapbook in a drawer in a 150-year-old bureau.

“It’s been in the house since we moved here 36 years ago.

“In fact, the memorabilia must have been in the drawer for longer than that because the desk used to belong to Celia’s parents.

“The autographed photo was inside the scrapbook along with copies of The Beatles’ monthly magazine.

“I know my wife liked the Beatles when she was 10 or 11 – lots of girls did.

“At that time, around 1963/64, she was a pupil at the Beehive Boarding School in Sussex.

“Though we sometimes talked about The Beatles, she never mentioned the memorabilia.

“But she obviously loved the band because she kept the scrapbook all her life."

Celia Goodchild in 1964 (Clive Goodchild via SWNS)

“Her late father was a colonel in the army who knew some important people in London.

“I suspect he obtained the signed photo for her. But Celia’s no longer here to ask.

“I’d like to think the memorabilia will bring some pleasure to someone.

“Perhaps they’ll have it framed and put it up on a wall.”

Celia Goodchild's scrapbook and rare Beatles' photo. (Hansons via SWNS)

The collection is now expected to fetch between $1,300 and $2,700 when it goes under the hammer at Hansons London on February 26.

Auctioneer Chris Kirkham said: “It’s a gold-dust find and a lovely surprise for Clive.

“I think we all hold on to things that remind us of special times in our lives, especially from our formative years.

“They get buried away in boxes and cupboards for decades and sometimes we even forget about them ourselves.

“Music memorabilia such as autographs or tickets from famous concerts are often treasured, and they can be particularly valuable at auction because the best artists and groups remain popular and gain new generations of fans.

“This is certainly true of The Beatles, the most influential group of all time.”

Clive and Celia Goodchild in 2017. (Clive Goodchild via SWNS)

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