You may remember last week we told you that a drum head used by Ringo Starr had sold for more than $2 million at auction. Well here's the full details on this incredible purchase.
The 20" Remo head was used during the Beatles' Ed Sullivan debut and was sold at Julien's auction in Beverly Hills. It fetched $2.125 million (a mere £1.4 million) and was purchased by Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay. It will now sit amongst Irsay's considerable collection of rare guitars.
After the sale Remo Belli, founder of Remo, commented the price was so sky-high that the company 'couldn't even afford to buy our drumhead back!'
The head was used for the duration of the Beatles' first American tour including all three Ed Sullivan appearances, a concert at Washington Coliseum and two shows at New York City's Carnegie Hall and was featured on the album covers The Beatles Second Album and Something New.
After the Beatles' American tour, the drumhead was kept at Abbey Road Studios, London, until it was auctioned by Sotheby's in 1984 and sold to an Australian restaurateur named George Wilkins for just under $9,000.
Wilkins re-consigned it to Sotheby's in 1994 when it was sold to Russ Lease, one of four members in Fab Four Exhibits, LLC, a group who pooled their Beatles' collectables and partnered with the Grammy Museum to create a traveling exhibit. Now the Beatles' logo drumhead can be seen by invitation-only in Jim Irsay's office and secret memorabilia room inside the Indianapolis Colt's Headquarters.
