'Holy Grail' Beatles record expected to fetch over £10,000 at auction

A rare Beatles record, which was discovered by chance after spending years gathering dust in a loft, is to be auctioned next month and is expected to fetch over £10,000. 

The record is a 10-inch acetate of 'Till There Was You' and 'Hello Little Girl' and has been described as the "Holy Grail' by hardcore fans of The Beatles. You can see it below (Photo courtesy of Omega Auctions):

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The record had been in possession of Les Maguire, the keyboardist in Gerry and the Pacemakers and bears the handwriting of The Beatles' legendary manager Brian Epstein. Maguire was given the acetate by Epstein in 1963. 

Speaking to the BBC about the LP, Maguire said: "I've never been a big fan of memorabilia, but people seem to like it. It's no good to me so I've given it to my granddaughter, who is hoping to buy a house after passing her accountancy exams. I hope it goes for a good price."

The LP was made at hmv's store at 363 Oxford Street and was presented to future Beatles producer George Martin at the EMI record label as they tried to secure their first recording contract. 

The record will be sold at Omega Auctions in Warrington on March 22nd and will be broadcast live online for bidders all around the world. 

You can take a look at the hmv store where the LP was cut in the 1960s in hmv's photo gallery, which is here.