DALLAS – A highly coveted, 1966 concert poster from The Beatles’ performance at New York City’s Shea Stadium set a world record for the most expensive concert poster ever sold at public auction, when it changed hands for $137,500 at Heritage Auctions, Saturday, April 4. The authentic cardboard advertising poster for the Fab Four’s appearance had been owned for the last 54 years by a Boston family who saved it out of pure Beatles fandom.

Heritage Auctions previously sold another Beatles Shea Stadium poster for $125,000 in November 2019.

When stepping on stage at Shea, the Beatles faced an audience of 55,000 fans, a number that exceeded all of their 279 appearances at Liverpool’s Cavern Club combined. It is estimated promoter Sid Bernstein produced just a few hundred copies at the most of the 18-by-24-inch cardboard posters to promote the 1966 show. Collectors suspect just five or six of the originals are known to exist.

All prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Watch for a longer sale recap in a future issue.