Paul McCartney’s Lunch Knife could be yours for £850
A Tyneside collector has discovered another rare piece of Beatles memorabilia and it is up for sale.
Newcastle area collector Joseph Robert O’Donnell has a lunch knife which was once used by Paul McCartney during the Beatles' 1964 concert appearance at the Granada Theatre in Walthamstow, London.
Paul’s lunch knife is up for sale
The knife was found in a private collection of items once belonging to a fan who likely attended the concert. It is now offered for sale at £850 – the exact fee the Beatles were paid for their two performances at the venue that evening.
The knife, made by Mappin & Webb, bears the stamped insignia “GRANADA,” and was lifted from the theatre’s canteen, where the Beatles are known to have dined after arriving covertly via a van on October 24, 1964.
This show marked the group’s second and final performance at the venue, following their 1963 appearance.
‘It’s a time capsule from one of the wildest nights of Beatlemania’
A note accompanying the knife reads: “This is the knife which Paul McCartney used to eat his meal when appearing at the Granada, Walthamstow, London, E.17”
Joseph said: “The knife is humble in appearance, but its story is anything but,” said Joseph. “It’s a time capsule from one of the wildest nights of Beatlemania, tied to a venue with a rich and now tragically lost entertainment history.”
The concert featured a ten-song setlist including Twist and Shout, Can't Buy Me Love, and A Hard Day's Night. Support acts included Mary Wells, The Rustiks, and Sounds Incorporated, among others.
Fans screamed non-stop, fainted in droves, and hurled tagged gifts toward the stage
The 1964 Walthamstow concert, now one of the least-documented dates from the Beatles’ British tour, was a scene of true Beatlemania.
Fans screamed non-stop, fainted in droves, and hurled tagged gifts toward the stage in a frenzy of affection. One fan, Janice, recalled her friend Maggie fainting after George Harrison picked up her handmade puppet during the show – a performance that was almost drowned out by hysteria.
Twenty-four girls were treated for fainting and hysteria that night, according to St. John’s volunteers.
This isn’t Joseph’s first brush with headline-making memorabilia.
Over the past six months, he has uncovered several rare cultural artefacts including previously undocumented Led Zeppelin artwork, a pair of custom underpants designed for the Beatles during the launch of Apple, and perhaps his most bizarre and beloved find: a corner of George Harrison’s toast.
To find out more about the knife, visit nottinghillbilly.com.