Rare signed Beatles album to fetch over $53,000 at auction

By Charlie Fenton

A rare American-only Beatles album signed by all band members is set to fetch $53,680 at auction.

The album - called Beatles '65 - was only released in America and is one of only two such copies known to survive, according to auctioneers at Anderson & Garland.

It belonged to a flight attendant, Angela Bass, who was aboard the BOAC - the precursor to British Airways - Boeing 707 on March 10, 1965, with the band on a return flight to London from the Bahamas.

It was nicknamed the "Beatles Bahamas Express."

The rockers had been to the tropical island to film the warm-weather location scenes for their second feature film, Help!

The band spent 15 consecutive days filming across locations including Nassau itself, Balmoral Island and the Nassau Beach Hotel, before departing New Providence Island.

During the flight - which landed at 7:05 a.m. the following morning - Bass had the opportunity to spend time with all four Beatles and even asked them to sign her personal copy of the album.

Three of the band signed the reverse of the sleeve; George Harrison, by his own preference, chose to sign the front.

She also had them autograph the flight's first class menu, which promised cabin service including fresh Canadian salmon mayonnaise, breast of chicken Madeira, French beans and roast potatoes.

It also offered a tossed salad with Roquefort dressing, a wine list drawn from Bordeaux and the Côte d'Or, and a choice of English or American cigarettes.

That menu was later sold for more than $6,710 and was subsequently acquired by the Beatles Story museum in Liverpool, where it now resides.

The album has remained in the family ever since and is now being consigned for sale by Angela Bass's son, Max Bass, on behalf of himself and his two brothers.

Speaking about the album and his mother's memories of the flight, Bass said: "She was lucky enough to be the stewardess on the flight bringing them back, and as was her way, she made the most of the experience and spent time talking to all of them.

"She particularly enjoyed chatting with George Harrison, who she said she talked to for hours, and always said how easy he was to get on with.

"She also had a memorable exchange with John Lennon, who was lying across the gangway of the plane as she tried to get past with the menu.

"He wouldn't let her by until she gave him a kiss, which, apparently, she didn't oblige him with."

"This album has stayed in the family ever since our mother passed, and between the three of us brothers, we decided the best thing was to move it on to a collector who would really value it."

Beatles '65 was released in the United States and Canada on December 15, 1964 and topped the Billboard albums chart for nine consecutive weeks from January 1965 and went on to be certified triple platinum in the United States.

The album carries an estimate of $26,840 to $53,680.

It will go up for auction on August 27 in Newcastle.

Jack Orgill, Auctioneer at Anderson & Garland, said: "We've been delighted by the level of interest this album has generated since we announced this consignment.

"Opportunities to acquire a fully signed album with such impeccable provenance are exceptionally rare.

"What makes this example so special is that it isn't just signed by all four Beatles, it comes with a documented story that places it at a fascinating moment in the band's history.

"The famous return flight from the Bahamas gives it a provenance that collectors simply cannot recreate.