Follow for more talkers

Money CAN buy you this 1963 Beatles single worth $1,300 due to rare writing credit

Avatar photo

Published

on

By Lauren Beavis via SWNS

A Beatles single from 1963 is set to sell for $1, 361 (£1,000) - because it has a rare writing credit for "McCartney-Lennon."

The single "From Me To You" is up for auction at Wessex Auction Rooms next Friday (February 25).

The promotion record was one of only 200 sent to press, radio and industry - and is the more unusual because it bears the songwriting credit McCartney-Lennon - rather than Lennon/McCartney.

A Beatles single from 1963 is set to sell for £1,000 - because it has a rare writing credit for 'McCartney-Lennon'.(Wessex Auction Rooms via SWNS) .

Apart from "From Me To You" and its predecessor "Please Please Me," every other release by The Beatles was credited Lennon-McCartney.

The rare record was distributed ahead of the public release of the single on April 11, 1963.

"From Me To You" was the Beatles' third single and became the group's first number one in the official UK singles charts, where it stayed for seven weeks.

At the time a single cost 37p (50 cents).

Auctioneer and records specialist Martin Hughes said: “I was sorting through a collection of about 200 Beatles 7-inch singles, which, as with most Beatles singles, are worth very little, perhaps £1 ($1.36) each, and then I found this!

"It is one of probably only 200 and my estimate will be £700-1,000 ( $953- $1,361).

“When we do sell high-value vinyl record singles at Wessex Auction Rooms they usually come from someone who knows what they have and are bringing their prized possession to ‘cash in’ – such was the case with our Sex Pistols single that we sold for £16,000.

“But what is fantastic in this case is that this was a true ‘find’ amongst a collection of 150 Beatles singles and EP’s that collectively only have a value of £150-200 as they are so common.

“The vendor had no idea that this was lurking in the box, so that is another great feeling as an auctioneer, to be able to make someone’s day. It worries me to think they almost sold the collection to a dealer for £70 ( $95)!”

A Beatles single from 1963 is set to sell for £1,000 - because it has a rare writing credit for 'McCartney-Lennon'. (Wessex Auction Rooms via SWNS)

“Seeing that magic ‘A’ on an early Beatles single is an absolute dream. It’s just to clearly signify that it is the A side of the demo and therefore the side that the DJ should be playing first.

“I see many demo singles, thousands every year, but simply being a demo doesn’t make it valuable and sometimes an ex-DJ will bring in a collection of 40 or 50 demo’s that are only worth £50 as a group.

“As with all vinyl record collecting, value is not just dependent on rarity, but also artist and genre. You can bring me as many Cliff Richard or Jim Reeves demos as you like but I’m afraid they just won’t have any value.

“But I have researched and authenticated this one and I was very pleased to confirm that it is the real deal.

"How many have survived until today? Who knows! How much will it make when it goes under the hammer? Who knows! There will certainly be record collector’s from all around the world wanting to bid.

“The record is being listed with a pre-auction estimate of £700-1000, and I certainly hope the bidding ends somewhere within that range… or higher!”

Stories and infographics by ‘Talker Research’ are available to download & ready to use. Stories and videos by ‘Talker News’ are managed by SWNS. To license content for editorial or commercial use and to see the full scope of SWNS content, please email [email protected] or submit an inquiry via our contact form.

Top Talkers