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Tue 13 Jul, 2004 09:34 pm
Rare Beatles Unearthed
A cache of previously lost Beatles recordings and photographs has been discovered by a tourist at a flea market in Australia.
The collection includes sealed containers of tapes from Abbey Road studios with the words "Not for use", together with hundreds of pictures and documents with the band members' original signatures.
"I've been told that to collectors the photographs, books, magazines and documents alone are worth a fortune," tourist Fraser Claughton said. "The documents in the main are recording sheets for some of the best-known Beatles hits. And the tapes, if they turn out to be unheard material, could be almost priceless."
Claughton plans to auction off his findings on an Internet auction site.
A flea market of all places...who was in charge of cleaning out the store room? I can't wait to view some of the pictures and to hear the music.
who on earth would have brought those to a flea?
Actually, all reports on this are quite similar ... short, just reporting key facts from the original TImes-article.
And since you have to subscrib there, I can't postthis as well.
But here's the one from the
BBC
Quote:
Tuesday, 13 July, 2004, 19:44 GMT 20:44 UK
Suitcase holds Beatles treasures
A Kent man who bought a battered suitcase from a market in Australia found it was full of valuable Beatles memorabilia.
But the suitcase also contained tapes which - if they prove to be of the "Fab Four" - could provide a unique glimpse into their early recording sessions.
Fraser Claughton, from Whitstable, nearly threw the tapes away, not realising their potential significance.
He is now waiting for experts to decide if the tapes are of the Beatles.
Fraser Claughton actually just wanted to buy the suitcase
The suitcase contains hundreds of photographs, vinyl albums, books, concert tickets and programmes as well as the four-and-a half-hours of tapes.
Mr Claughton admits he is not particularly interested in the Beatles and just wanted the suitcase, which cost the equivalent of less than £20.
He said he only began to realise what he had on his hands after speaking to a friend back in Kent.
He said: "I knew there were a couple of albums in there, which I didn't want.
"I just took it and it wasn't until I looked through the case later that I phoned my friend John back in England.
"He said 'keep it shut, don't show anyone and bring it back and we'll have a look'."
Even when Mr Claughton brought the suitcase back to England the tapes nearly got thrown away - when they were moved during decorating.
His friend John Read said: "I actually thought the tapes had been thrown away.
"Then we got hold of them again last Friday and Saturday was spent going from reel to reel tape to CD and we heard them on Saturday afternoon.
"It made me cry just listening to them."
Mr Claughton said collectors and auction houses around the world have already shown an interest in the tapes.
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