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Paul McCartney's August 1960 letter. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £34,850 TO AN ANONYMOUS TELEPHONE BIDDER.

A letter handwritten  by Paul McCartney inviting an unknown drummer to audition for The Beatles is to be sold at Christie’s Rock and Memorabilia auction in South Kensington, London on November 15. Dated August 12, 1960 it was discovered by an anonymous collector inside a book at a car boot sale in Bootle, Liverpool. This is one of the earliest occasions in which the band referred to themselves as The Beatles.

On August 15, 1960 The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe, along with drummer Pete Best) travelled to Hamburg for almost two months. McCartney’s response to an advert in the Liverpool Echo was written four days after John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe had verbally committed themselves to travel to Hamburg on August 15 as a five-piece band.  It is not known if there was a response. There was no alternative but for Pete Best to travel with them to Hamburg. Best was dismissed from the band two years later, and replaced by Ringo Starr.  The letter is expected to make £7,000 to £9,000.

Bed Peace from John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969. (Click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: THIS WAS THE TOP LOT IN THE SALE. IT MADE £97,250.

Another lot is a John Lennon placard reading BED PEACE from the historic Montreal Bed-In for Peace, 1969. The Montreal ‘Bed-In for Peace’ was held two months after John and Yoko’s honeymoon Bed-In at the Amsterdam Hilton, and lasted for seven days between May 26 and June 2, 1969. Throughout the week the couple sat up in bed in their nightclothes and opened their doors to the worlds’ media, speaking to journalists and politicians. Most notably the Lennon’s, along with an enthusiastic congregation of friends and supporters, recorded the anthem ‘Give Peace a Chance’ during their stay. The placard is estimated at £80,000-100,000.

UPDATE: THE sale brought in a total of a total of £478,738

A Gilt-Bronze Cloisonne Enamel Tiger Waterpot and Cover Qianlong Mark (£200,000-300,000). Image copyright Sotheby's. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £825,250.

This beautiful gilt bronze and cloisonné enamel tiger waterpot of Qianlong mark and period is a highlight of Sotheby’s bi-annual sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art in London on November 9.  The sale offers an exceptional range of Imperial porcelain monochrome ceramics, bronzes and jades from two of Britain’s greatest collectors of Chinese works of art. The tiger waterpot, from the private collection of Sir Peter Moores at Parbold Hall, is estimated at £200,000-300,000.

The auction includes Imperial Qing dynasty monochromes from the collection of Richard Fairfax William Cartwright at Aynhoe Park.

Sotheby’s Senior Specialist in Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Stephen Loakes said:  “The prestigious and diverse pieces  from Sir Peter Moores’ private collection at Parbold Hall, represent his passionate and scholarly approach to the field over some 50 years. Richard Fairfax William Cartwright’s exquisite monochromes delighted visitors to Aynhoe Park for decades and will present collectors with the opportunity to acquire pieces of the most refined and ravishing glazes.”

The auction of 560 lots is estimated to realise in the region of £12 million.