A Beatles record is expected to sell for more than £4,000 at auction. The sale comes after it was ‘accidentally’ donated to charity. The demo of the Liverpool band’s debut single is one of only 250 that were originally made to be sent to radio stations.
The Love Me Do single was donated it to a British Heart Foundation (BHF) store in Midhurst, West Sussex. The original seven-inch demo comes complete with a misspelling of Paul McCartney’s surname, as “Lennon-McArtney” are credited. All money will go to charity. Bidding on the item reached £3,900 this morning and is due to close at 10pm tonight.
Preston Davies, area manager at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Our teams know what to look out for in terms of rare items – so this was like finding hidden treasure. “We have tried to find out who the donor is but we have no idea.However, their generosity means we can raise even more money to fund our lifesaving heart research.”
When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1962, it peaked at number 17. In 1982 it was re-promoted (not re-issued, retaining the same catalogue number) and reached number four. It was released in the United States in 1964, where it became a number one hit. The song was written several years before it was recorded, and prior to the existence of the Beatles. The single features John Lennon’s prominent harmonica playing and duet vocals by him and Paul McCartney. Three different recorded versions of the song by the Beatles have been released, each with a different drummer.
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