The Hey Jude lyrics differ from the final version

The two tapes sold for a total of �134,000 to a private collector from the US.

A tape of the late Beatle improvising songs and telling stories to Kyoko, his six-year-old stepdaughter by Yoko Ono, fetched �75,250.

A 25-minute cassette of Lennon developing the melody and lyrics for She Said, She Said, which was later released on the Revolver album, went for �58,750.

A one-page cartoon strip drawn by Lennon for the Daily Howl, a comic he drew while at school, was expected to fetch �8-�12,000 but went for �32,900.

A taped interview with Lennon and Ono was sold for �23,500, more than twice its estimate, and a portrait of the couple drawn by the star fetched �12,925.

Three documents detailing the salaries of the four Beatles in 1961 fetched between �12,900 and �18,800 each.

Elsewhere in the auction, a 1967 Gibson guitar formerly owned by Noel Redding, bassist with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, was bought for �17,625 by the Hard Rock Cafe.

Other artists represented in the sale included Bob Dylan, Marc Bolan, Marvin Gaye and The Doors.

'Stolen'

Sir Paul McCartney took his dispute over the ownership of the lyrics to Hey Jude to the High Court because he said they had huge sentimental value to him.

The piece of paper was offered for sale by Frenchman Florrent Tessier, who bought them from a market stall in Portobello Road in 1971 while on holiday in the UK.

The Lennon tapes sold for a total of �134,000

Mr Tessier said he did not know it was genuine until he took the document to Christie's for valuation six years ago.

But Sir Paul's lawyer, Richard Meade, told the court Mr Tessier must have known it was genuine at the time of buying it.

Mr Meade told Mr Justice Laddie that Sir Paul had written the song for John Lennon's son Julian, to help him get over his parents divorce and therefore had great emotional value.

Sir Paul believes the lyrics must have gone missing during one of a series of break-ins at his home in St John's Wood or had been taken by someone working for him.

The document will now remain at Christie's until its fate is decided either by agreement or trial.