When a teenage Paddy Kyle met The Beatles in 1963, they had barely taken their first steps on the long and winding road to mega-stardom.
But perhaps recognising the potential in the mop-topped young men playing in her hometown, she made sure to get all four to sign her autograph book.
Two weeks later, they released their first album and history was made.
Now, 60 years later and following the Ellon granny’s death, the signatures have been rediscovered and are now being sold at auction.
Patricia Anne Kyle (nee Florio), known as Paddy, collected the autographs in 1963 when she lived in Nottingham.
The band had been performing at the city’s Elizabethan Ballroom, above a Co-op where had father, John, had worked as the chief security manager.
And it just so happened he was in the perfect position to meet the global stars when they arrived to perform upstairs.
John, his wife Fay and Paddy – who was 13 at the time – managed to secure a place at the gig and were fortunate enough to meet the Fab Four.
And afterwards, she was able to bag the signatures of all the Beatles across two pages of her autograph book.
George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr all signed their names for her in pencil, while John Lennon inscribed in blue ink: “To Pat, love from John Lennon xxx.”
The collection also includes a photo of Paddy with Merseybeat band The Big Three, a Parlophone Records postcard of The Beatles and a leaflet promoting their concert, as well as an autographed Decca postcard of The Bachelors.
In 1979, Paddy, her husband Bob and her family moved to Aberdeenshire, and it was thought the memorabilia had been lost.
But it has since been found and sent to be valued by Richard Winterton Auctioneers in Staffordshire.
To their surprise, her family has been told it is expected to sell between £3,000 and £4,000 at the auction in Lichfield on June 6.
Paddy’s 48-year-old daughter Bridget Gray, who recently moved to the West Midlands, said: “It’s been a bit of a hidden treasure – we knew they had met The Beatles but we didn’t realise my mum still had the book because they had moved house a number of times.
“My grandad got to meet a lot of celebrities in his job and the autograph book is a wonderful piece of memorabilia.”
‘Retain a legendary status’
Auctioneer Richard Winterton added: “Sixty years on from their early days which snowballed into Beatlemania, the Fab Four retain a legendary status across the world with an unsurpassed legacy.
“It’s fab to have a complete set of Beatle signatures with such impeccable provenance. Those autographs happily signed to put smiles on the faces of teenage fans, have taken on huge significance.”
1963 was a pivotal year for the Liverpool group as they consolidated their position as the UK’s number one band, with their debut LP “Please Please Me” being released on March 22.
The next year, the band embarked on their tour of the USA, where they became a worldwide hit.
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