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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 Paul on July 6, 2016 at 9:59pm

Gee, where do we go from here?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 6, 2016 at 9:07pm

Yes, ask Ballroom. Just post a comment on his profile asking him to join in here.

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Permalink Reply by KarlKeaton on July 6, 2016 at 8:59pm

Indeed. All considered, the odds on them all being signed at the same times (by each Beatle separately)are too great to consider any other scenario IMO.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on July 6, 2016 at 9:06pm

I agree totally.
What do you think Steve?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 6, 2016 at 9:13pm

Agreed...I can't see any other scenario.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 6, 2016 at 10:19pm

I'll email Jason at Tracks.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 7, 2016 at 9:40am

I heard back from Jason Cornthwaite with Tracks, who sold one of the White Albums in 2013 for about $224,000. I'm quoting him with permission:

"The one I sold was also a USA pressing, I have no doubt in my mind that the albums would have been signed at the same time, but I did not get anywhere with my research. I do think though it would have been someone close to the Beatles as the album would have had to travel to the US to get John’s signature on it, it would not have been easy either to get Paul, George and Ringo together."

There are only two known band-signed White Albums, both USA pressings. The White Album listed in our 2011 Beatles album census is one Ballroom posted the B&W photocopy of. Jason tried but could find no information on the other one, beyond the photocopy.

I forgot that there were several write-ups and discussions about it here. Someone posted the entire catalog description:

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/white-album-is-it-real?

Here's a large image of the one Tracks sold:

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Permalink Reply by Paul on July 7, 2016 at 12:00pm

It's a little frustrating thats all we know about the white lp. It may well be in Elton johns collection, thats the rumour.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 7, 2016 at 12:12pm

The rumor is that the one similar to this one is in Elton John's collection? I figured that if he had one he got it as a gift and it is not one of these.