💰 This Week’s Beatles Finds: Insanely Rare “Hey Jude” Edit 💎

This week’s Beatles auction roundup includes a genuinely rare finds: Invicta guitar brooches, a vending machine record with a one-of-a-kind edit of “Hey Jude,” and a handful of other pieces that cover the full spectrum from serious collectibles to charming Beatlemania-era novelties. Links in this post are eBay affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

“Fabulous Beatles” Guitar Brooches — NEMS, 1964

Current bid: $81.00 — View on eBay

This is the kind of item that rewards knowing what you’re looking at. Invicta Plastics of Leicester manufactured these guitar-shaped brooches in 1964 under NEMS authorization, and what makes this particular set genuinely special is that three of the four are the rare colored versions rather than the standard black.

The red guitar carries a group image, both blue guitars feature individual shots of Ringo and George respectively, and the fourth is a black guitar with a group image. All four are mounted on the original 2” x 5.5” display card, which carries facsimile signatures and the NEMS Enterprises copyright text, and the card is near mint—flat, with no folds, tears, or writing anywhere.

The brooches themselves are the real story. Each one features a classic Dezo Hoffmann photograph set under a clear plastic dome at the base of the guitar, with gold fretboard detailing that remains close to perfect after sixty years. Hoffmann was the Beatles’ primary photographer from 1962 through 1964, responsible for many of the most iconic early images of the band, so his work embedded in these pieces connects them directly to the period’s visual history.

Counterfeiting has been a serious problem with these brooches, and the seller flags the most reliable tell: authentic examples have jagged or zigzag card edges, while fakes usually have straight-cut edges. The presence of the plastic dome over the photograph is another indicator, though the seller notes that’s not universal across all authentic examples. The colored guitar variants are considerably scarcer than the black versions, which makes a near-mint set of three in one lot very hard to find. These pop up individually far more often than as a complete, well-preserved group.

George Martin “A Hard Day’s Night” Picture Sleeve & DJ 45, United Artists, 1964

Current bid: $285.00 — View on eBay

This is a niche piece that will appeal to the serious collector who understands what they’re looking at. United Artists issued George Martin’s orchestral instrumental versions of the A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack songs as a promotional single in 1964—a separate release from the Beatles’ own recordings—and this copy pairs that rare DJ promo 45 with its picture sleeve.

The sleeve itself is in solid shape front and back, with the only real issue being fully separated bottom and right seams, meaning it opens flat like a sheet rather than holding its envelope form. Everything is still present and intact.

What makes the record itself particularly notable is the label variation: this copy has the scarce version with two black horizontal lines and small print, which the seller says they rarely encounter compared to the more common variants. Record condition is VG- with VG+ labels and a small sticker stain on one side. Worth noting for any buyer: this single features Martin’s instrumentals, not the Beatles singing—but as a document of the 1964 film campaign and Martin’s own extraordinary contribution to the Beatles’ sound, it’s a legitimate piece of the era’s history. 🎬

Paul McCartney “Mary Had a Little Lamb” Picture Sleeve, Apple, 1972

Current bid: $57.00 — View on eBay

“Mary Had a Little Lamb” is the Wings single that critics loved to use as evidence Paul had gone soft in the post-Beatles years, a cheerful nursery rhyme issued while John Lennon was making Some Time in New York City.

History has not been entirely kind to it as a career move, but as a collectible the picture sleeve variant that actually prints the B-side title, “Little Woman Love,” on the sleeve is legitimately harder to find than the standard version, which only lists the A-side. This copy is VG+++ on the sleeve with no ringwear, tears, staple holes, writing, or stickers—just light handling and the gentle age mellowing you’d expect from a 53-year-old piece of cardboard. The record itself is near mint. At $57 it’s a reasonably priced entry point for collectors focused on the Apple Records era and Wings completism. 🐑

Beatles “Hey Jude” Four-Inch Flexi-Disc, Apple/Americom, 1969

Current bid: $510.00 — View on eBay

This is an unusual artifact from the vending machine era of music distribution. In 1969, Americom produced a series of tiny four-inch flexi-discs pressed on thin black vinyl exclusively for coin-operated vending machines, and this Hey Jude/Revolution example is the only known record in existence to feature a 3:25 edited version of “Hey Jude”.

The album version runs over seven minutes, so the truncation was a practical necessity for the format. These vending machine flexi-discs had an extremely short market life, which accounts for their scarcity today. Condition is described as near mint on both the disc and its cover, which for a flexi of this age and fragility is notable. The combination of format rarity, the unique edit, and the condition here makes the $510 asking price understandable for the right buyer. 🎵

Beatles Hair Bow, Set of Two, Burlington/NEMS, 1964

Current Bid: $85. — View on eBay

Beatles merchandising in 1964 covered essentially every corner of a teenage girl’s life, and the official hair bow was a natural entry in that catalog. Burlington manufactured these under NEMS authorization, and this set offers the green and pink color variants still sealed in their original 7.5” x 6” backing cards, each bow printed with a repeating “I Love the Beatles” pattern.

The original retail price was 49 cents, which included four wallet-sized black and white photos printed directly on the backing card that buyers could cut out. That detail alone makes these cards worth preserving intact, and these are. Some age discoloration is beginning on the pink bow, but both display well. The other color variants were red, black, blue, and light blue, making this a partial run for anyone attempting a complete set. 🎀

Beatles New Beat Toy Guitar, Selco, 1960s

Current bid: $209.50 — View on eBay

The New Beat guitar was one of the era’s most recognizable Beatles toys, a child-sized instrument printed with Beatles imagery that put the band’s name in the hands of kids who wanted to be John, Paul, George, or Ringo for an afternoon.

Selco produced several variations across the Beatlemania years, and examples in reasonable condition have held their value steadily as the collector market for sixties Beatles merchandise has matured. The listing description is sparse on condition specifics, so bidders should examine the photos closely before committing at the current price. 🎸