A collection of memorabilia belonging to ex-Beatle Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach has raised over £6million at an auction in Beverly Hills this weekend.
The biggest sale of the weekend was Ringo’s iconic first 1963 Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl drum kit, which went for £1.4m. According to Julien’s Auctions, who specialise in selling entertainment memorabilia, the drum kit was used by Starr in more the 200 performances between May 1963 and February 1964.
It was used to record some of The Beatles’ biggest hits, including ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘She Loves You’ and ‘Money’.
The drum kit was sold to Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay. The NFL legend bought the drums and a Rickenbacker guitar which was given to Ringo by John Lennon in the 1960s, which went for £600,000.
Martin Nolan, Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions, said: “This collection features so many remarkable items from The Beatles to Ringo Starr’s solo career to those special items collected by Barbara Bach for their residences.
“Every time we looked through the inventory of this fantastic collection we were simply stunned when we think of the history truly represented here.”
Some of the money raised will be donated to a charity founded by Starr and his ex-bond girl wife, Bach. Portions of the auction will benefit The Lotus Foundation in the UK and the US. It is an organization which assists with a wide range of worthy causes around the world, focusing primarily on family and child welfare, women’s issues, addiction recovery and education.
Other highlights from the auction included the sale of Ringo’s first pressing copy of ‘The White Album’, which sold for over half a million pounds. Starr’s Patek Philippe wristwatch sold for over £100,000 whilst his blue stone pinky ring sold for £70,000, among many other items.