All You Need Is Money to buy Beatles, Rollins Stones autographs Working on the set of Thank Your Lucky Stars British cameraman John Rees grabbed the autographs of all the Swinging Sixties pop starts. Now they're for sale in an auction slated for Tuesday October 27
News-Antique.com - Oct 22,2009 - For teenagers growing up in the Swinging Sixties, it was essential viewing. For cameraman John Rees, working on the set of Thank Your Lucky Stars was an opportunity to grab the autographs of all the top bands of the era including The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Sadly, though, John was not best at managing his pocket money and when he ran up a big bill at a shop down the road from the studio, he used his autograph albums as collateral to pay his debts.
Now, decades later the albums are for sale in an auction of antiques and collectors’ items at Colwyn Bay, North Wales, auctioneers Rogers Jones. They are estimated at £200-300 in the sale on Tuesday October 27 but could fetch much more.
The vendor, until recently living in North Wales but now living in France said: “We owned a delicatessen in Teddington and John Rees was a regular customer but often short of cash and he had goods on tic. He gave me the autograph albums in payment of a large bill.
“The other autographs on our headed paper we got when the celebrity concerned was shopping in the delicatessen, which was located close to the studios and some others we got when we made deliveries to the studios.”
Thank Your Lucky Stars was a pioneering pop show made by ABC Television and recorded at Thames Television studios. It was broadcast by ITV from 1961-1966 and was essential viewing for millions of teenagers as a rival to Juke Box Jury.
The Beatles made their first networked TV performance on the show in January 1963, when they mimed their second single “From Me To You”. They signed John Rees’s autograph book on February 17, 1963, their second appearance on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars, when they mimed “Please Please Me” for the cameras. The programme was transmitted on Saturday February 23 but no record of the performance is thought to remain.
The Rolling Stones made their first UK television appearance on the show on July 7 that year, when they mimed “Come On”. Their autographs, including that of Brian Jones, appear on a sheet of paper from a notepad dated 1964.
The original presenter of the show was Keith Fordyce (R), who went on to greater fame as compere of Ready Steady Go! His autograph appears in the album together with, among others, pop icons such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Helen Shapiro, Bobby Vee, Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Johnny Leyton, Rolf Harris, The Crickets, Bobby Rydell, Rosemary Squires, David Jacobs (Of Juke Box Jury Fame), Joe Brown and many more.
Viewing for the sale, which includes the usual eclectic mix of furniture, pictures and prints, ceramics and glassware, silver, jewellery and collectors’ items, notably collections of stamps from various owners is on Sunday October 25 from 1.30-4.30 and from 9am on the morning of the sale, which starts at 10.30.
For more information, telephone 01492 532176 or info@rogersjones.co.uk.
