Band-Signed Beatles Album Census and Price History 2016

It's been 5 years since we published our first Band-Signed Beatles Album Census.

It's time to update it!

A history of full-band-signed Beatles album prices would be hugely helpful to the marketplace as well, going back as far as we can, so let's build that, too. Not just from auctions, but reports from collectors and dealers who have sold them.

For starters, please read the 2011 Census, which had a few years of updating and other input added by collectors and dealers.

Add your research and commentary to this discussion for now, and as we get more data, we'll post two separate discussions to fine tune it. Once we feel comfortable with the information we have and what we have determined, we'll publish reports that will help collectors and dealers worldwide make better educated decisions on Beatles album sales and purchases.

These are the results of the 2011 census:

US Release Band-Signed Beatles Albums

0 “Introducing the Beatles” [Added to list on Sept. 16, 2019]

6-7 “Meet the Beatles”
2 “Help”
1 “Beatles 65”
1 “Beatles VI”
0 “Rubber Soul”
2 “Revolver”
0 “Magical Mystery Tour”
0 “Abbey Road” +1 offered by Autographs for Sale on eBay starting Mar. 16, 2019
0 “Yellow Submarine”
1 “White Album” +1 sold by Tracks in Nov/Dec 2013 for $186,000; +1 more signed for the same person who got the other 2 signed (added 3/13/19)
1 “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
0 “Let it Be”

17 US Albums Known 

UK Release Band-Signed Beatles Albums
Roughly 75 “Please Please Me” (Their first album, signed in three 1963 UK promotional tours)
16-21 “With the Beatles” (The tail end of their easier accessibility) [Editor's Note: 1 since April 2011 added.]
8-10 “Hard Day’s Night”
3 “Beatles for Sale”
2 “Help”
1 “Rubber Soul” +1
1 “Revolver”
5 “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” +1 sold by Bonhams on June 30, 2016
0 “Magical Mystery Tour” (All reissues from the 1980s and up.)
0 “White Album”+1 UK (sold to collector in the US)
0 “Yellow Submarine”
2 “Abbey Road”
0 “Let it Be”

Roughly 113-120 UK Albums Known (38-45 plus roughly 75 “Please Please Me” albums)

Let's do it!

Tags: beatles album, census, history, price

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on September 15, 2019 at 12:51am

Link doesn't work.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 16, 2019 at 5:17pm

Thanks for letting me know. I fixed it.

Permalink Reply by Kevin Richards on September 15, 2019 at 6:31pm

I'm wondering if I could get some input on the FMV of a signed Beatles Album. I've got a Sgt. Pepper signed just by John Lennon but it has an incredible provenance. It was obtained by John's "Gypsy" gardener with a signed letter detailing how and when it was obtained. It also contains a few Polaroid pictures of the gardener's "Gypsy" wagon as well. Oh yeah, authenticated by Frank C. and Roger Epperson.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 15, 2019 at 6:45pm

Wow! Start a new discussion here and post the image and the COAs:

https://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/categories/beatles-autogra...

Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on September 16, 2019 at 4:54pm

While it is not listed on the census, I bought the "Introducing the Beatles" at the Heritage auction a few years back.  It came with Heritage and REAL COAs, as well as extensive provenance.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 16, 2019 at 5:13pm

Let's get it in the census...we need it!

Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on September 16, 2019 at 6:08pm

What do you want me to do?

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 16, 2019 at 6:50pm

Actually, you don't have to do anything now. I found it at Heritage Auction and it looks absolutely genuine to me so I'll put it in the census. I'll post it in this discussion so people can enjoy it.

That's a title that I never knew came signed, and it's a US release and only 15-16 US release signed Beatles albums are known!

I'll post it and let people know there's a new addition. You bought that right, too.

Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on September 16, 2019 at 7:42pm

Based on the census listing, it may be the only one signed.  And what I didn't realize is that this is officially the first Beatles album released in the U.S.

Permalink Reply by Bertrand on November 18, 2019 at 12:12am

A Beatles for Sale was sold yesterday by Heritage Auctions for a price of about 20k$ (including BP if I am not wrong). This seems to me quite a low price for a fully signed album (authenticated by Tracks) but that may be explained by the fact that there was ink restoration to three signatures. Do you believe that the same item could have sold much higher if the sigs were "originals" (not restored) ? More generally, I would appreciate to receive opinions from members about the impact of restoration on the price of a signed item. Thanks.

Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on November 18, 2019 at 4:47am

I clearly believe that "restoration" to signatures on something like a signed Beatles album would definitely have an effect on the price.  Restoration on just about any item is usually going to have the same effect.  If a poster has been fixed to repair holes or other damage then it is not going to bring the same price as an equivalent unrestored copy.  A restored autograph means that someone else had to rewrite it.  Just not quite the same, and probably accounts for the lower price.

Permalink Reply by Bertrand on November 18, 2019 at 7:11am

I totally agree but, as there seemed not to have many interest for this item, I was wondering whether restoration could be a definitive "no go" for collectors or only a factor affecting the price...

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