An auction house in Westerhope is about to put one of only two signed copies of a rare Beatles album on the block. What's more, it's signed by all four members.
The Beatles' American-only album Beatles '65 carries an estimate of £20,000 to £40,000. It will be offered in the Collectors' Auction on 27th August.
History of the album
The album's history begins with the Beatles' journey to the Bahamas in February 1965 to film warm-weather location scenes for the 1965 movie Help!. The band arrived in Nassau on 22nd February and would depart for home from New Providence Island on 10th March. Their management chartered a BOAC Boeing 707 for the journey, a flight nicknamed by those on board the "Beatles Bahamas Express".
Among the cabin crew on the return leg was Angela Bass (née Bourton), a BOAC air stewardess. During the flight back to London, landing at 7.05am the following morning, Mrs Bass had the opportunity to spend considerable time in conversation with all four Beatles and 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.
Family memories and provenance
She also had them autograph the flight's first-class menu, which was later sold for more than £5,000 and was subsequently acquired by the Beatles Story museum in Liverpool, where it now resides. However, 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, Mr Bass said: "Mum was an air stewardess in the golden age of flying in the 1960s. She flew with BOAC, the precursor to British Airways."
"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."
Rarity and auction details
Signed copies of any Beatles album are exceptionally scarce, and copies of American-only releases signed by all four members are rarer still. Specialist census work by autograph researchers has identified only one other signed copy of Beatles '65 known to exist.
Beatles '65 was released in the United States and Canada on 15th December 1964, topped the Billboard albums chart for nine consecutive weeks from January 1965, and was later certified triple platinum in the United States.
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."
"With two weeks still to go until the sale, enquiries are already coming in from serious Beatles collectors and institutions. We expect it to be one of the standout lots of the auction."
The full catalogue is now available online ahead of the Collectors' Auction on 27th August, with the Beatles album due to come under the hammer at 12pm GMT.
