English rock band The Beatles, which was established in Liverpool back in 1960, had its first record contract signing in Germany, after the band started building their career through playing gigs in the nightclub district of Hamburg City.
From the band's first recording contract which only fetched them an amount of $80, the six-page document is now an important piece of history for an avid Beatles collector as it is the thing that essentially began their prolific career in the music industry.
The Heritage Auctions will be auctioning off this piece, which has an estimated value of $150,000 in New York on September 19.
Prior to the contract, The Beatles produced its first single "My Bonnie" in 1961 and was made official under the Polybor label. The song "Love Me Do" was the band's first hit during their early years.
The Beatles expert, Ulf Kruger, said in a statement "Not many people know that the Beatles started their careers in Germany. The Beatles had their longest stint in a club in Hamburg at the Top Ten Club. They played there three months in a row, every night. The stye they invented in Liverpool, they cultivated in Hamburg."
Dean Harmeyer, director for music memorabilia, also said "It really is where they honed their musical skills to become the Beatles. They set about learning new material, they worked on their instrumental abilities."
The contract was signed by 20-year-old John Lennon, 19-year-old Paul McCartney, 18-year-old George Harrison and Pete Best, who was the band's first drummer. A year later, Ringo Starr would take his place.
The papers will be sold by the estate of Uwe Blaschke, a Beatles historian and a German-born graphic designer who died five years ago.
Besides the band's most popular single "My Bonnie", a signed copy of the song "Love Me Do" is also included in the auction.
Other highlights of the upcoming auction will include the band's 1969 postcard Ringo sent to his grandmother, a restaurant menu card signed by the band when they were filming 'HELP' back in 1965, and a set of posters by Richard Avedon commissioned in 1966.
