A pair of legal letters that foretold the eventual dissolution of the Beatles are now for sale.
Both letters, from January 1969 and April 1969, were sent to John Eastman and Lee Eastman, the father and brother of Linda Eastman, who would marry Paul McCartney in March 1969.
Moments in Time is selling both letters: The January 1969 letter is available for $225,000, while the April 1969 letter has an asking price of $325,000.
The January 1969 letter, signed by all four Beatles as well as Apple Corps head Neil Aspinall, is addressed to John Eastman informing him that “we retain you and authorise you to act on our behalf in negotiations in respect of all contracts proposed.”
However, three months later, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr sent a signed letter to Lee Eastman severing the professional relationship; the other three Beatles aligned with the Rolling Stones’ manager Allan Klein while McCartney remained with his father- and brother-in-law.
“This is to inform you of the fact that you are not authorized to act of to hold yourself as the attourney or legal representative of ‘The Beatles’ or of any of the companies which the Beatles own or control,” the April 1969 letter states. “We recognize that you are authorized to act for Paul McCartney, personally, and in this regard we will instruct our representatives to give you the fullest co-operation.”
The April 1969 letter previously hit the Christie’s auction block in 2005, where it was dubbed the “split letter” due to its proximity to the demise of the Beatles. At that 2005 auction, the April 1969 letter sold to a private collector for £48,000, or roughly $63,000.
The April 1969 letter