It's been a big year for music memorabilia sales - from Elvis' bus to the lyrics for "American Pie." Now a Beatles contract has joined the list at Sotheby's, selling for half a million euros. But not all fared so well.
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Hit and miss: Famous music memorabilia under the hammer
Sotheby's in London auctioned off a swathe of souvenirs from rock and pop stars. The contract with the first manager of the Beatles sold for half a million euros. But not all of it met expectations.
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Management contract with The Beatles
An impressive collection of rock and pop memorabilia came under the hammer at Sotheby's in London on Tuesday (29.09.15). One of the more notable was the contract between The Beatles and their first manager Brian Epstein, which went for half a million euros. Epstein was running a record store in Liverpool when he became aware of the young band - eventually taking over the management reigns in 1961.
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Album cover for 'Please Please Me'
Paul McCartney referred to their manager Brian Epstein as the "fifth Beatle." The band's love for their manager is evident here on this signed copy of "Please Please Me" - the band's debut LP, released in 1963. However, the love wasn't shared: Bidding failed to reach the reserve price of around 20,000 euros ($23,000).
Image: Sotheby's
Disappointing note
Expectations at Sotheby's pop and rock auction were high - sometimes too high. The studio grand piano used by Swedish pop sensation ABBA was expected to draw bids upwards of 800,000 euros ($1.3 million), but went unsold. The band used the instrument on hits such as "Waterloo." It was originally built by piano manufacturer Bolin for jazz pianist Bill Evans.
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Eric Clapton's axe
Eric Clapton's fifth studio album "Slowhand" took its name from a nickname given to the British guitarist early in his career. In 2011 Clapton ranked second in "Rolling Stone" magazine's "100 greatest guitarists of all time," but nonetheless his blue 2009 Fender Stratocaster changed hands for the bargain price of around 60,000 euros ($70,000).
Image: Sotheby's
History in the making
This scrap of paper was expected to fetch up to 288,000 euros ($320,000) at auction. The document is the original lyrics to Bob Dylan's apocalyptic song "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall." It's believed he typed it quickly in 1962 at New York's legendary Gaslight Club, reworking it later on. The item found no new owner.
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Songs by rap icon 2Pac
Tupac Shakur, aka 2Pac, has sold an estimated 75 million albums to date. It's said that the rapper spent as much time in prison as in the recording studio. His lyrics were often confrontational and provoked many of his hip hop adversaries. He was shot twice and died in 1996. His handwritten lyrics also found no buyer.
Image: Sotheby's
The Warhol factor
Pop Art protagonist,Andy Warhol had already made a name for himself during the 1950s as an illustrator for fashion and lifestyle magazines. On the side he was also creating record covers for numerous artists. However, a collection of his record covers from 1949-1990 - valued at around 70,000 euros ($75,000) - attracted no buyer.
Image: Sotheby's
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It was one of the flagship items of Sotheby's pop and rock auction on Tuesday (29.09.15) - a contract between The Beatles and their first manager Brian Epstein, who started working with the band in 1961. And its hefty sale price sees it join an impressive list of prized memorabilia auctioned off through 2015, including Don McLean's original manuscript for "American Pie," which sold at auction in April for 1.1 million euros ($1.2 million).
However, many items failed to meet their reserve prices at the Sotheby's auction - amongst them ABBA's grand piano, a signed Beatles album, and a collection of original Andy Warhol designed album covers.
Still, the disappointing results may be corrected in December when another auction takes place in New York, featuring items such as Janis Joplin's psychedelic-painted Porsche, which is expected sell for around $400,000 (350,000 euro).
