JOHN Lennon's personal and signed copy of Yesterday and Today album has sold for £180,000 at auction.

The album prototype from 1966 sold for the record-breaking price at Julien's Auctions first Beatles auction event Music Icons:The Beatles in Liverpool at The Beatles Story story on Thursday, May 9.

Nearly 300 pieces of iconic Bealtes memorabilia went under the hammer today for the first ever Julien's auction to take place in Liverpool.

Bearing the controversial 'butcher' cover, the Yesterday and Today album was displayed on the wall of John's apartment in New York City before being signed and given to Beatles fan Dave Morrell in a trade for the reel-to-reel recording of Yellow Matter Custard.

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Darren Julian

The buyer, who has asked to remain anonymous, is a US collector and bought the record as an investment.

Chief executive and president of Julien's Auctions, Darren Julien said: “This was a world record for a Beatles Butcher cover and the third highest price paid for a vinyl.

"In 2015 Julien’s sold Ringo Starr’s number 1 White album for $790,000 and in January of that same year an acetate copy of ‘My Happiness’, the first song Elvis Presley ever recorded sold for $300,000.

"This is the third highest price paid for a vinyl and the market is still developing so we anticipate in the next five years this same record could bring $500,000 plus.”

Other highlights of the sale include; a door to John and Ringo Starr's Tittenhurst Park home which sold for £5,760, a black pen on paper cartoon drawing by John which sold for £12,800, a baseball signed by all four Beatles in San Francisco during their final live performance sold for £57,600 and an acoustic guitar with custom decoration signed by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Buddy Holly and more sold for £41,600.

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A baseball signed by The Beatles at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, during their final live performance sold for £57,600

Martin King, manager of The Beatles Story said: “We are thrilled to have hosted Julien’s Auctions’ first ever Liverpool auction here at The Beatles Story, where better for it that the band’s hometown.

"The team put together such an exciting event packed full of fascinating Beatles items and the response has been fantastic, we hope to do it again soon!”

At previous events the internationally renowned Julien’s Auctions has broken world records with the sale of Beatles memorabilia including John Lennon’s acoustic guitar which sold for a record $2.4 million, Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit which sold for a record $2.2 million, the Ludwig Beatles Ed Sullivan Show drumhead which sold for a record price of $2.1 million and The Beatles White Album owned by Ringo Starr that sold for $790,000.