The Beatles' handwritten 'Hey Jude' lyrics sell for Sh96 million at auction

A sheet of paper with partial "Hey Jude" lyrics [Photo: Jane Ross]

Artist Paul McCartney’s handwritten lyrics to The Beatles’ hit song “Hey Jude” sold for $910,000 on Friday, nine times its original estimate, auction house Julien’s Auctions said.

A vintage bass drumhead with The Beatles’ logo that was used during the English band’s first North American tour in 1964 was another top item, selling for $200,000.

The items were among more than 250 items of Beatles memorabilia offered in an online auction by Julien’s Auctions to mark the 50th anniversary of the band’s breakup.

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A drawing by John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono called Bagism, a term they coined to satirize stereotyping, sold for $93,750, while an ashtray used by the Fab Four’s drummer Ringo Starr at the Abbey Road recording studios in London fetched $32,500.

The wooden stage of the small Liverpool venue where the band performed before they rocketed to fame went for $25,600.

Before the sale, Julien’s Auctions music specialist Jason Watkins had described McCartney’s hastily scribbled notes for a 1968 studio recording of “Hey Jude” as very rare and valuable.

“It’s obviously a very iconic song that everyone’s familiar with,” said Watkins. “These handwritten lyrics were used in the studio as a guide when they were recording it.”

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The sale had been due to take place online and at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, New York, but it was made online-only due to the coronavirus pandemic, the auction house said.