PREVIEW

AssetID: 40360624

Headline: Beatles Auction

Caption: PICTURE SHOWS: One of the headlines of the annual Beatlemania auction extravaganza is the rare and original stage from the first Beatles performance. The band performed on this stage at Lathom Hall in Liverpool, England on May 14, 1960 for one night only as The Silver Beats (their original band name) in their first advertised concert booked by Liverpool promoter Brian Kelly. The stage, steeped in Beatles legend, was also the scene of the infamous fight involving original bass player Stu Sutcliffe, which some claim led to his death sixteen months later due to head injuries received during this fight. John Lennon also broke a finger in the scuffle while coming to the aid of his friend. The group, whose name became The Silver Beetles and then finally as The Beatles, would play at Lathom Hall on ten more occasions. Their final performance at Lathom Hall was on February 25, 1961, George Harrison's 18th Birthday. The stage (shown right), measuring 19 feet 8 inches x 9 feet 10 inches, from the hall built in 1884, has been meticulously removed and numbered so that it could easily be reassembled in the future. The stage's original wood planks have remained untouched with their Victorian era nails still anchored in the floor joists and is accompanied by a letter from Brian Corrigan, who purchased Lathom Hall in 1989 and reopened it as a throwback bar for fans of Merseybeat, the 1960s popular UK Rock 'N' Roll music genre. The estimate for this historic piece is $10,000-$20,000. "This stage of the Fab Four's first performance is not only one of the most extraordinary artifacts ever to come to market from Beatles history, but all of music history," said Martin Nolan, Executive Director of Julien's Auctions. "We're thrilled to offer this remarkable and unique piece that set the stage for the auspicious start of the greatest Rock 'N' Roll band of all time as well as these other incredible and significant items that celebrate the magic of Beatlemania."

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