Beatles record found in charity shop sells for £4,000
PA MediaA rare Beatles record found in a London charity shop has been auctioned for more than £4,200.
Shop manager Jaime-Marie Madden, who works at a Cancer Research UK charity shop in Enfield, north London, found the record, which she initially thought to be worth a few hundred pounds.
It was in fact a first pressing from the original masters of the foursome's debut studio album Please Please Me.
The album, released in 1963, sold on eBay for £4,211.89.
Cancer Research UKThe find was processed by a dedicated online trading team for Cancer Research and listed with a starting price of £1,499.99.
Ms Madden said: "The record was in good condition, with only a few marks, but the sleeve was pretty damaged and worn, with a cut at base, some scuffs, marks, ageing and stains.
"We're trained to spot donations that can raise more money for life-saving cancer research, so after taking a few pictures and Googling the record, I knew we had something special."
Record valuation specialist Mike Kuklenko said the disc was an "incredibly rare" record.
"I've seen a few stories like this in my time as professional vinyl valuer.
"People have shared their old collections, thinking it will raise a few pounds, and I've been fortunate enough to be the one who surprises them that they have a gem or two worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds."
