Anonymous buyer snags Ringo Starr’s rare pressing of White Album at auction

Ringo Starr has auctioned off the first ever copy of the The Beatles self-titled 1968 album, with the item selling for $910,000 (£600,000) at auction.

There’s a trend towards downsizing when we get older. The copies of The White Album were numbered in sequence, ensuring that whoever purchased Starr’s copy would have the first printing produced of the album.

Another buyer, Colts owner Jim Irsay, bought Ringo’s 1963 Ludwig Oyster Pearl drum-kit, the one used on more than 100 Beatles recordings and played in concert by Ringo himself.

It featured in more than 200 performances between May 1963 and February 1964 and can be heard in smash hits such as Can’t Buy Me Love, She Loves You and I Want To Hold Your Hand.

It was part of a collection of over 800 items owned by Ringo Starr and his wife, actress Barbara Bach that had been put up for sale. According to Fox Sports, he already owns guitars that once belonged to fellow Fab Four members Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison. Starr’s A Hard Day’s Night suit was also sold for $50,000. “Finally, after 45 years, the Beatles are together again”, Irsay texted the AP, likely referring to other Beatles instruments in his possession. When the same model Patek Philippe was auctioned in November 2012, it drew a closing bid of $136,000.