The Beatles and Pete Best 1961 Cavern Club Membership Booklet Signed 21 Times

An extremely rare and highly important original 1961 Cavern Club Liverpool membership booklet, member number 2862, signed inside by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best, with Pete Best signing a remarkable 16 times.

Pete Best has signed the opening page twice in pencil. Across the centre pages, Pete has signed the left-hand page an incredible 12 times in pencil, while the right-hand page carries the signatures of the complete pre-fame Beatles line-up. John Lennon has signed boldly at the top in blue ballpoint pen. Paul McCartney has signed twice in ink, charmingly adding “(once again)” beneath his name, and John Lennon has signed a second time in ink below Paul, playfully adding “again” above his name. George Harrison has signed in ink and humorously added “(for the last time)” beneath his name, with Pete Best signing once more in ink below George. Pete has also signed the last page of the booklet in pencil.

The booklet also notes two historically significant early Beatles performances. The original owner has handwritten “AUG 5th All Night”, referring to the legendary all-night session held at the Cavern on 5th August 1961, and the printed Riverboat Shuffle dates include Friday 25th August 1961, the night The Beatles made their landmark debut aboard the Royal Iris.

This wonderful piece was sent by a Liverpool pen pal in 1961 or early 1962 to a teenage girl living in Endwell, New York, whose favourite Beatle at the time was Pete Best, which explains the many repeat signatures. Treasured by her family ever since, it is accompanied by an email from her husband recounting its charming history.

Complete sets of Beatles signatures on Cavern Club material from 1961 are exceptionally scarce, and examples where the group have signed the same piece more than once from this formative period are virtually unheard of, making this a truly outstanding and museum-quality piece of early Beatles history.

The membership card measures 10 x 6 cm

The condition is ok with the pages being loose and some wear to the front and back covers