Faux pas fireman's Beatles autographs sell for £7.4k

Auctioneers said there had been a "huge amount" of pre-sale interest

Beatles autographs collected by a firefighter receiving his MBE on the same day as the band have sold at auction for thousands of pounds.

The circumstances in 1965 sound like lyrics to the Beatles' song Penny Lane: At Buckingham Palace there was a fireman with some autographs, and in his pocket a medal from the Queen.

It was the quirky background that piqued the interest, the buyer said.

But there was an additional feature to the story - a fireman's faux pas.

On 26 October 58 years ago, George Goodman collected the signatures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr for his daughter Joy, then 12.

But as the band signed her book, he told them: "I don't know what she sees in you" - a comment about which McCartney would tell reporters.

The Staffordshire-based buyer, 57, a life-long Beatles fan who wished to remain anonymous, paid £7.4k for a page of history, and said: "It was the story behind these autographs which did it, you can't fault it."

He added his purchase fulfilled a "lifetime's ambition".

Mr Goodman was at one time chief fire prevention officer for Birmingham, although there is no word on whether he liked to keep his fire engine clean.

Joy, pictured with her mum, dad and sister, said she was told to wear her grammar school uniform on the day of the ceremony

Joy, now 70, who accompanied her father to Buckingham Palace along with her mother Doris and sister Jill, said the autograph book had been "tucked away for years" and she felt it was time to pass it on.

She said following the sale: "I wanted my autograph book to go to someone who would appreciate it and treasure it, so this is a perfect fit."

The Beatles, and Mr Goodman, were awarded their MBEs on 26 October 1965

At a press conference following the ceremony, Lennon said the band signed autographs "for all the people who were waiting to get their MBEs", with McCartney adding: "They were all nice, you know. But one fella said 'I want it for my daughter but I don't know what she sees in you'."

Lennon went on to return the MBE in protest at Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra civil war and its support for the USA in Vietnam.

Rob French, valuer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers in Lichfield, Staffordshire, said: "We had a huge amount of interest pre-sale and it is wonderful to see such a good result."