Beatles Fans Can Get Their Hands On A Piece Of The Band At The Ukrainian Institute
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- If the Beatles are the soundtrack of your life, then you won't want to miss a memorabilia collection that could leave you with a piece of the band.
"It's really something to see; it's like a Beatles museum. It really is great," Doug Joswick said.
"You can't pass anything Beatles, of course, right? so we had to come to check this out," Matt Greene said.
"It captures the entirety of the Beatles' career," said Dean Harmeyer, consignment director at Heritage Auctions.
Harmeyer gave CBS2's Dick Brennan a tour of the items that were ready to go on auction at the Ukrainian Institute on East 79th Street, on Saturday.
Among the items up for auction is the first contract the Beatles ever signed. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison's names are all there, but original drummer Pete Best's name appears on the fourth line rather than that of Ringo Starr.
A 45-RPM record of "P.S. I Love You" with the band's autographs is also on display.
"('P.S. I Love You' is) the B side for the first single 'Love Me Do,' which the song that really starts the story for most fans that don't know about 'My Bonnie,'" Harmeyer explained about a Beatles record. "My Bonnie" was a recording by Tony Sheridan on which the Beatles played as the backup band.
There's also artwork.
"These are the original production cels from 'Yellow Submarine,'" Harmeyer said as he showed off the items from the 1968 animated film.
And then there were the guitars, such as a vintage 1965 Hofner violin bass that McCartney played.
"The Beatles are perhaps unique amongst all of the pop groups in that they have continued to generate new fans, and they haven't been active now for over 45 years," Harmeyer explained.
Thankfully, some things don't last.
"The Beatles wig was very popular in America, the hair, the hair became a big story here. I think we all had that haircut at one time," Harmeyer said.
The bidding prices are from $250 to $75,000.
