Pieces of a Wirral stage trodden by The Beatles – before they took the
pop world by storm – are being snapped up at extraordinary prices
across the globe.
A Beatles fan in America has paid $300 for a four-inch square section
of the stage, while a UK enthusiast has parted with £250.
The blocks have been auctioned over the years to help finance the present day Birkenhead YMCA.
When the old building was demolished in the 1980s, staff had the
foresight to salvage sections of the stage ,after recognising their
historic value because of the appearance of the Fab Four.
Just a handful of the blocks remain, signed by world renowned Beatles biographer Paolo Hewitt.
Dean Johnson, author of The Beatles and Me, a compilation of
previously unseen pictures and personal encounters with the Liverpool
foursome – called the blocks 'rock 'n' roll Holy Grail'.
He said: "This was such an important gig. In 1962, just prior to their
first record release, The Beatles took a break from recording the Love
Me Do single to play an engagement at the Birkenhead YMCA.
"Although they had appeared at the venue previously, this was their
debut with Ringo on drums, and die-hard Pete Best fans were said to have
booed the band as they took to the stage."
One of the remaining blocks is being offered as a prize in a competition within the pages of Dean’s book.The winning entries will be drawn from a guitar case on September 8 –
50 years to the day of the appearance by John, Paul, George and Ringo.Dean Johnson said: "The answer to the question to win this unique
memorabilia is in the text of the book for everyone to find and gives a
'treasure hunt' dimension that I think is very exciting."
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