Abbey Road street sign sold for £37,000 at auction

The plaque from Abbey Road, home to the famous recording studios, and featured on a Beatles album cover, smashed expectations at the sale.

A street sign from London’s Abbey Road has sold for more than £37,000 at auction.

The plaque from the street that is home to the famous recording studios, and featured on a Beatles album cover, smashed expectations at the sale.

The classic white, black and red sign was created in 1967 by Sir Misha Black and was one of 275 signs being sold on behalf of Westminster City Council.

Predicted to fetch between £1,000 and £2,000, the Abbey Road NW8 sign saw fierce competition and sold for £37,200, including buyer’s premium and VAT.

Overall, the lots sold for a total of £143,517 and saw frantic last-minute bidding from all over the world, from Australia to Canada to Europe.

The various signs were put up for sale in a two-week timed auction by Catherine Southon Auctioneers & Valuers, in Chislehurst, south-east London, which came to a close on Wednesday evening.

Other signs sold included two for Eaton Place W1, which fetched £2,728 each, while New Cavendish Street W1 sold for £2,728 and Ebury Bridge Road SW1 sold for £1,364.

Auctioneer Catherine Southon said:

“As a south Londoner myself, the project of selling the London street signs has been enormous fun from start to finish, and an honour to be involved in.

“I have been absolutely flabbergasted by the interest in the auction and the competitive bidding from all over the world.

“Many people have been bidding on the signs because they have a personal link to the street -either they worked there, lived there, or, in some instances, the signs just link to their name.

“Whatever the reason, the signs are a wonderful way to connect to one of the most famous cities in the world.”

Abbey Road Studios is one of the most famous recording studios in the world.

Originally a nine-bedroom house built in 1829, it was purchased in 1928 by the Gramophone Company, which went on to convert it into the world’s first purpose-built recording studio.

While initially a venue for classical recordings, the studios’ repertoire soon embraced jazz and big bands as well as Sir Cliff Richard and, most famously, The Beatles.