By Jack Williams
The Beatles may have sung that money can’t buy love – but it can buy what is being described as ‘the rarest Beatles record in the world’.
Set to hit the auction block on May 9 this year, the record is estimated to be worth around £135,000.

PIC FROM JULIENS AUCTIONS / CATERS : A leather guitar strap with brown, yellow, green, and orange stitching, stage used and inscribed by John Lennon. Lennon has written in white marker To Tex Thanks for the memories! Love John Lennon. Tex Gabriel was the guitarist of Elephants Memory band (also known as Plastic Ono Elephants Memory band), a New York City-based band that backed Lennon and Yoko Ono between 1971 and 1973.
The record in question is John Lennon’s personally owned and signed album ‘Yesterday And Today’, a U.S. First State Butcher album prototype stereo example which is reportedly considered by Beatles experts to be the rarest Beatles record in the world.
According to Julien’s Auctions, which is overseeing the sale, the record was displayed on the wall of Lennon’s Dakota apartment in New York before it found its way to a fan, David Morrell.
- PIC FROM JULIENS AUCTIONS / CATERS – (Pictured: A Spalding baseball signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr on each side. On August 29, 1966, The Beatles performed their final concert in the United States in San Franciscos Candlestick Park, which was demolished in 2014. They signed the baseball for Mike Murphy, who has been manager of the San Francisco Giants Clubhouse for the last 40 years. Murphy gifted the baseball to his sister, who later sold it to collector Terry Flores. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Flores, outlining the history of the baseball. Est 80000 USD)
- PIC FROM JULIENS AUCTIONS / CATERS – (Pictured: A Spalding baseball signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr on each side. On August 29, 1966, The Beatles performed their final concert in the United States in San Franciscos Candlestick Park, which was demolished in 2014. They signed the baseball for Mike Murphy, who has been manager of the San Francisco Giants Clubhouse for the last 40 years. Murphy gifted the baseball to his sister, who later sold it to collector Terry Flores. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Flores, outlining the history of the baseball. Est 80000 USD)
- PIC FROM JULIENS AUCTIONS / CATERS – (Pictured: A Spalding baseball signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr on each side. On August 29, 1966, The Beatles performed their final concert in the United States in San Franciscos Candlestick Park, which was demolished in 2014. They signed the baseball for Mike Murphy, who has been manager of the San Francisco Giants Clubhouse for the last 40 years. Murphy gifted the baseball to his sister, who later sold it to collector Terry Flores. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Flores, outlining the history of the baseball. Est 80000 USD) – The Beatles may have sung that money cant buy love – but it can buy what is being described as the RAREST BEATLES RECORD IN THE WORLD. Set to hit the auction block on May 9, 2019, the record is estimated to be worth around 135,000GBP (80,000USD).
For that reason, the record is signed, ‘To Dave from/ John Lennon/ Dec 7th 71,’ and Morrell later obtained Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr’s signatures also.
Other items included in the auction are the likes of a baseball and Liverpool Airport sign signed by the band, and a guitar strap signed by Lennon, as well as one of his drawings.
The auction, titled ‘Music Icons: The Beatles in Liverpool,’ will take place at the Beatles Story Museum, in Liverpool, UK.

PIC FROM JULIENS AUCTIONS / CATERS – (Pictured: A Glouchestershire Education Committee school notebook from 1962 belonging to Judy Ross, signed and inscribed in blue pen on one page by The Beatles. John Lennon has written love to Judy from John Lennon xxx, George Harrison has signed his name and written (thank you xxx) below, Paul McCartney has written love to Judy from Paul McCartney xxx, and Pet Best has written love to Judy from Pete Best xxx. The book also contains other autographs.)
Speaking of the rare album, Beatles expert Gary Hein said: “There is no Beatles album in the world that compares with this one in terms of both rarity and value.”
“This important world class pop culture piece would add significantly to any Beatles collector, art, pop culture or record collector’s collection.”