A 1969 letter that marks a pivotal moment in the break up of
The Beatles is to go under the hammer in London this week, and is expected to fetch up to £60,000. The letter was sent during an acrimonious dispute between Paul McCartney and the rest of the band over the question of who should manage them.
McCartney wanted his then lawyer and father in law Lee Eastman to do the job whilst the rest of the group favoured Rolling
Stones' manager Allan Klein. The letter was sent to Eastman, co-signed by John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr under his real name Richard Starkey, and told the lawyer he was "not authorized to act... as the attourney (sic) or legal representative of 'The Beatles' or of any of the companies which the Beatles own or control".
The
Beatles' partnership was finally dissolved in court in 1975.
The letter will go on sale on Thursday in a Christie's Pop Memorabilia auction which will also include a guitar owned by Pete Townshend and a prosecution notice served on the Rolling Stones for lewd behaviour while using public transport.