by Kate Manning

Created on: December 31, 2010   Last Updated: January 01, 2011

As any die-hard Beatle fan, along with any classic rock enthusiast, will know, The Beatles phenomena bought with it a wide array of memorabilia that are now considered highly collectible. These collectible items could be split into two categories; Vintage collectibles and Modern day collectibles - memorabilia from the 1960’s when Beatlemania was in full swing, and merchandise available in stores now, and sold for collection.

Below is a look at the different types of memorabilia that collectors like to seek and buy.

Vintage Collectibles.

Vinyl records.

Many of The Beatles original vinyl records, in good, playable condition can vary in value, from a few dollars to hundreds. Differing recording mixes can add value, for example, some of the earlier albums are recorded in mono, rather than stereo, which is preferred among collectors. An original pressing can also be identified by the record sleeve - if the seams of the cardboard cover are glued on the outside, then it is a strong indicator of an earlier release.

Some of the Beatles vinyl is very rare, and it is these that collectors hanker after! He first and perhaps most sought after is the Beatles ‘Butcher Cover’ aka Yesterday and Today album. The cover features the Beatles sitting with meat and body parts from dolls strewn across them. Capitol records ordered that the covers be destroyed, of which many were. However, some were simply pasted over with a different photograph. An album that has one of these ‘re-covered’ album jackets can fetch thousands of dollars, as they are very rare.

Another rare and censored album is John Lennon’s Two Virgins album. The original cover showed John and Yoko completely naked on the front cover of this avant garde LP. However, after outrage sellers were told to wrap the record in a plain brown paper bag. Further pressings of the album were printed with the bag on, with a hole cut out to show the title, and the top cut off to show John and Yoko’s faces. Copies of the original ‘naked’ cover are fairly rare and can be worth hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Original merchandise.

When Beatlemania took off, merchandise was produced of every item possible! From pillow cases, combs, lunch boxes, bags, shoes… the list goes on. All original items are of more value if still packaged and/or in very good condition. During the ‘60’s there was also the Beatles Cartoon, and along with it, an range of cartoon Beatle products.

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