A very nice lady emailed me, asking about the value of the Beatles autographs that she's had since 1964, and how best to go about selling them.

A friend of her father's was the Beatle's chauffeur during their first US concert on Feb. 11, 1964 in Washington, DC. He got a few sets signed for the kids of friends, and that's how the lucky lady got this one.

They're in pencil on a blank index card. She tacked them to her bulletin board a few times, but she was careful to avoid the autographs. Those are pencil marks touching the R of Ringo and S of Harrison, not holes.

I braced myself when she contacted me, hoping against hope that I wouldn't have to tell her that they were signed by Neil Aspinall, like all but a few sets from similar situations. Seeing that they were real made my day.

Here...I'll let the owner tell you about them in her own words:

"I was doing an online search for authentication of Beatles autographs and came across your article. I have an original autograph that was given to me in 1964 when the Beatles gave their first US concert in Washington DC. My father's friend was a chauffeur-taxi driver and he drove them around the Washington area. He had several small cards index size and had them autographed for his friends teenage kids (like me). It is autographed in pencil."

When I told her that I was happy to tell her that they were real, she said:

"I knew the autograph was real because of the circumstances related to my receiving it. There has been a long standing joke in my family that I kept the autograph hidden in a box. The favorite question was how is the Beatles autograph doing?  LOL  I have always kept it in a plastic bag but it probably should have been protected better. I can't believe it took me 50 years to do this."

Regarding the pinholes:

"The mark on the R is not a pinhole. It appears to be from the pencil that he used to sign it. Same with the mark on the S in Harrison. There are 7 pinholes, 3 above the nno in Lennon, 1 below the second n in Lennon, 2 below the ne in McCartney and one on the far bottom right side. Attached is a scan of the back of the card which makes it easier to distinguish the pinholes."

What do you think the set is worth? How do think the owner should consider selling it? She was planning to take it to a TPA but I suggested she may not need to—so if it looks naked without a sticker on in the front you can blame me.