Rare Beatles record auctioned for 1.2 million yen in Nagoya

A record of the legendary English rock band The Beatles was sold for 1.2 million yen at an auction held on the 6th in Nagoya City. 

The record “Beatles ‘65” was released in Japan in 1965 with a brown strip of paper wrapped around the cover. Back in the day, Western artists’ albums’ would be sold with this strip of paper including the pieces’ titles and related information in Japanese. The strips also vary in color depending on the period that the albums are released. 

Honda Yasushiro, a Beatles expert and enthusiast emphasized the record’s rarity, stating how this was only the 4th time in 35 years to actually see a “Beatles ‘65” album with a brown strip. 

The item’s minimum bidding price was set at 800,000 yen excluding tax, which went to 1,2 million yen after an online bidder placed the bet. 

A man in his 60s from Saitama who attended the auction shared: “I’ve seen the record in books, but the aura of the real thing was completely different. It was definitely worth cooking all the way here from Saitama.”

Another Nagoya citizen in his 60s said how he thought the 1.2 million yen price was relatively low, considering the item’s rarity, and how he was happy just by being able to see it in person. 

Source: NHK