Hans J. Hoffmann/ullstein bild via Getty ImagesA pair of legal documents from 1969 involving The Beatles — which are tied to the band’s breakup the following year — are on sale now for a total of $550,000 at the Moments in Time memorabilia website.
The first document, dated January 1969, is signed by the group’s four members and Apple Corps head Neil Aspinall. It was sent to lawyer John Eastman, the father of Paul McCartney‘s then-soon-to-be-wife Linda, informing him that The Beatles were authorizing him “to act on our behalf in negotiations in respect of all contracts proposed.” The asking price for the letter is $225,000.
The second document, which is priced at $325,000, is a letter that John Lennon, George Harrison and Richard Starkey — a.k.a. Ringo Starr — sent in April 1969 to Lee Eastman, John Eastman’s son and partner in the Eastman and Eastman law firm, after the three band mates hired Allan Klein to act as their attorney.
The document, which reflects the rift that formed between McCartney and the other Fab Four members Beatles, reads, “This is to inform you of the fact that you are not authorized to act or to hold yourself as the attorney or legal representative of ‘The Beatles’ or of any of the companies which the Beatles own or control.”
In continues, “We recognize that you are authorized to act for Paul McCartney, personally, and in this regard we will instruct our representatives to give you the fullest co-operation.”
The note then instructs Eastman to send any Beatles-related documents and correspondence to Klein’s company, ABKCO Industries Inc.
Tensions between the Beatles would culminate in the band’s breakup, which McCartney confirmed in April 1970 in a press release announcing his debut solo album.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
