Earliest Known Cover of The White Album May Bring $20,000+ at Heritage Auctions
DALLAS — The lowest possible numbered cover of The Beatles’ famous The White Album, No. A0000001 — given to a top Capitol Records executive in 1968 — is expected to realize $20,000+ to lead a trove of important Beatles albums and memorabilia in Heritage Auctions’ Entertainment & Music Memorabilia auction Aug. 10 in Dallas.
Nearly 100 lots devoted to the Fab Four will cross the block, including rare 1964 LP stereo acetate records for the unreleased album Best of the Beatles, also expected to sell for $20,000+.
“The White Album appears as a direct results of our April auction, which set a new world record when a signed copy of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sold for $290,500,” said Garry Shrum, Director of Music Memorabilia at Heritage. “The August auction’s selection of Beatles albums and autographs are some of the rarest and most important specimens I’ve worked with in my career.”
The White Album stands as a turning point in The Beatles’ discography. White Album No. A0000001 was gifted to a top Capitol Records executive in 1968, one of 24 copies created as a promotional item celebrating the release. The album is also accompanied by the original poster and four individual photos along with a set of two EX 7 records (not original to this album) and is expected to bring $20,000+.
Ranking in rarity and collector interest are two rare LP stereo acetates for Best of the Beatles dated June 2, 1964. One of only two known to exist, the double album was shelved due to a copyright spat with Vee-Jay records, which maintained control of the rights to its 16 Beatles songs until October of 1964.
Another lot meant for record executive’s eyes only is a rare album cover for Sgt. Pepper’s featuring 40 Capitol Records executives’ faces rather than the original collage of celebrities. It’s believed only 40-50 copies were ever produced and the UK's Record Collector magazine ranked it #1 on a list of the world's most expensive record covers. The 1967 cover is expected to bring $12,000+.
Leading the auction’s extensive signed memorabilia is a souvenir program for the July 10, 1964 Liverpool premier of the movie A Hard Day’s Night and live performance signed by all four of The Beatles and their well-known manager Brian Epstein. The home-town rarity is expected to bring $12,000+.
An unusual train luncheon menu dated March 4, 1964, used in the film Hard Day’s Night and featuring bold autographs of George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr, may fetch $10,000+ and a hard-to-come-by contract and related letter for a Nov. 13, 1962 Beatles’ performance, also signed by Epstein, is expected to sell for $7,500+.
An original black and white photo by Dezo Hoffmann signed by all four Beatles in February 1964 is expected to bring $7,000+. The photo was shot while ‘the boys’ were in New York for their history-making performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The signatures were obtained by Marty Ostrow, the editor of Cash Box, an American music publication that covered the Beatles emergence in 1963, well before most American publications.
Additional highlights include, but are not limited to:
- A one-of-a-kind hand-painted concert poster from a Jan. 24, 1963 concert in Wales, England, may sell for $5,000+.
- The first LP release of Please Please Me, a UK stereo version and one of the first 300 pressed of the rare Black and Gold Parlophone label from 1963, may cross the block for $5,000+.
- A letter written and signed by President Richard Nixon’s daughter, Julie, sent to the producer of The Ed Sullivan Show thanking him for reserving her seat for The Beatle’s performance, could fetch $800+.
- A selection of vintage Beatle’s themed clothing, includes a 1964 ladies smock dress in blue (expected: $1,200+), a 1964 smock dress in brown (expected: $800+), and a lace white cotton top with woven portraits of the Fab Four (expected: $4,000+), plus dozens of other Beatles rarities.
Heritage Auctions is the largest auction house founded in the United States and the world’s third largest, with annual sales of more than $800+ million, and 800,000+ online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and receive access to a complete record of prices realized, with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com
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