Ringo Starr ‘New Band’ Letters Sell For £16,250

26 June 2014, 08:09 | Updated: 26 June 2014, 12:24

Ringo Starr's letters to teenage girlfriend about his 'new group' The Beatles have been sold for £16,250

Ringo Starr's letters to teenage girlfriend about his 'new group' The Beatles have been sold for £16,250

Doreen Speight met the future Beatles drummer on a Butlin’s holiday in Pwllheli, North Wales, in 1961, when she was 16 and he was with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.

After the holiday, Starr wrote to her in October 1962: “I got a phone call asking me would I join the Beatles and I said yes and I left Rory.

"I am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you have herd (sic) it it is on (Radio) Luxembourg every night (also don’t forget to buy it).”

Doreen, from Stockport, rediscovered the letters in a drawer. They were sold at a Bonhams auction in London to an anonymous UK collector.

"He was known as Richard Starkey back then and we ended up spending the whole week together, having barbeques and beach parties after they had practised.

"We would sit in Rory’s car and Ringo would hold my hand and buy us non-alcoholic drinks, he was a real gentleman. When we left he told me to write to him.”

In most of the messages he enclosed photographs of himself and signs off with ‘Lots of love and luck, Ringo x x x’.

A Bonhams spokeswoman said: “We are extremely pleased with the result. The Ringo Starr letters obviously captured the hearts of many as competitive bidding pushed the price to more than double the estimate.”

Watch the video of The Beatles performing live on television in 1963 below: