Visitor's discovery of Beatles poster in Harrogate street may be worth thousands of pounds

Should the poster, which was discovered by accident by a visitor from Dorset, turn out to be genuine, it could be worth thousands of pounds.

Featuring red and black print on a white background framed in a red border, the poster advertised The Beatles only-ever appearance in Harrogate’s famous venue on Friday, March 8, 1963.

Mr Gerry Hinde, who lives on the Isle of Portland near Weymouth, said he noticed the poster in the street but had no idea what it was until he picked it up.

"I was in Harrogate last week walking through the town centre and saw this rolled up manuscript on the pavement," said Mr Hinde.

"I unrolled it a little and read the words "Royal Hall, Harrogate", then scrolled down to read the the top of the bill.

"The line-up looked only moderately interesting so I threw it in my bag and forgot about it until I got home.

"Then, when I saw it was dated 1963 and featured the Beatles, I got a bit more energised.

"I can see some reproductions of it online, but this does not look like a repro.

"If it is, I'm happy to keep it.

"But it does feel authentic. It's on an old, slightly frayed canvas with staples at the top.

"Knowing how valuable Beatles memorabilia can be, I realise how gut-wrenching it would be to lose something like this.

"I'd be happy to return it to its rightful owner."

The Harrogate Advertiser passed on news of the discovery of the poster - genuine or not - to the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, which sells copies of the poster as part of its fundraising for the venue.

Although they have not yet seen the tourist's discovery in the flesh, as it is currently in Dorset, they said they were keeping an open mind.

But they are also encouraging the owner of the poster to come forward to claim it.

A recent auction at Ryedale Auctioneers in Kirkbymoorside saw a similar, though not identical, poster, go for £2,800.

Lynne Mee, Honorary Administrator of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, said: "At first, I thought it must be one of the copies of The Beatles poster promoting their 1963 concert which we sell at open days.

"We took part in Heritage Open days last week and we definitely sold one and we do roll them up.

"But our copies are not printed on frayed canvas or have staples in them.

"If it is as the visitor says, then it is certainly is an important find.

"We hope the owner can be found. We’d love to see that original poster and give them a tour of the Royal Hall.

"Perhaps they were even there at the concert in 1963?"

The Beatles' visit to Harrogate on Friday, March 8 1963 was unique for several important reasons.

For a start, it was a stand-alone concert organised by far-sighted Harrogate record shop owner Derek Arnold.

He booked the then little-known Beatles in December 1962 to come to Harrogate – even though he’d never heard of them – because his customers kept asking for the single Love Me Do.

Secondly, the support line-up was made up entirely of acts from the Harrogate district, including young bands such as Ricky Fenton and the Apaches, Barry Corbett and his Mustangs and singing group the Chinchillas.

At the time, John Lennon told George McCormick of Ricky Fenton and the Apaches that The Beatles were heading straight to London after the show but the Harrogate Advertiser discovered that the four boys headed for Leeds to relax in a hotel.

This was just before Beatlemania took hold, and the band were slogging their way round the country in package tours with then bigger stars such as Helen Shapiro, Tommy Roe and Chris Montez.

As a rule, the Liverpool fours played 20 minute sets.

But that night in Harrogate they played two separate sets totalling around about 90 minutes.

For their appearance at the Royal Hall, the band were paid the princely sum of £75 for the gig with £25 going to their manager, Brian Epstein.

Those sort of days were about to become a thing of the past.When they came to Harrogate, John, Paul, George and Ringo had only released two singles.

But, three days before making the journey to Harrogate, Fab Four recorded From Me To You at Abbey Road studios in London.

It would go on to become their first track to hit number one in all of the UK's single charts when it was released on April 11, 1963.

How to buy Royal Hall memorabilia

The Royal Hall Restoration Trust has introduced merchandise for sale as part of the venue's regular open days.

Items range from Royal Hall souvenirs to architectural prints, reprints of fascinating programmes, limited edition artist proofs from the re-opening in 2008 by renowned Yorkshire artist Alistair Colley and, of course, memorabilia of The Beatles' visit in 1963.

If you would like to buy any Royal Hall merchandise but are unable to attend any of the hall's open days, the trust says send an email to the address below and it will do its best to help you.

Email: email [email protected]