McCartney's Letter to 'Mystery Drummer' Auctioned for £35,000

A handwritten letter from Sir Paul McCartney was sold in London for £35,000 on Tuesday. The letter was an invitation to an unknown drummer to an audition for "The Beatles."

The note, dated Aug. 12, 1960, was discovered folded-up inside a book bought at a car boot sale in Liverpool by an antique coin collector.

The facts still remain unknown to whom the letter was addressed and if "The Beatles" audition took place.

A European buyer, who made the bid over the phone, bought the letter for £34,850 from the Christie's. Earlier, the letter had expected to fetch up to £7,000 - £9,000 ($14,000).

Sir Paul was writing in response to an advertisement placed in the Liverpool Echo on August 8, 1960 that read: "Drummer - Young - Free."

The Beatles, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and bass player Stuart Sutcliffe, were looking to find a drummer for their forthcoming performances in Hamburg. On August 12, 1960, they travelled to Hamburg with Pete Best, their new drummer.

Before the discovery of this letter, it was not known that "The Beatles" were searching for a fifth member. Best was dismissed from the band two years later, and replaced by Ringo Starr. Starr, at the time, was drummer for a rival band - Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.

"One of the best aspects of my work is the rare occasion when, out of the blue, you are made aware of the existence of something so extraordinary it alters the knowledge of your specialist field. This letter has proved to be such a case" said Neil Roberts, director of Popular Culture at Christie's.

"It is exciting to be able to offer to market a newly discovered important item of Beatles memorabilia, on behalf of an individual who was fortunate enough to find it folded up in a book at a car boot sale," he added.