A builder could be set for a financial windfall as he plans to sell a collection of rare piano sketchings once created by former Beatle Paul McCartney.
It is that Andy Clynes, a 54-year-old builder from Oldham, could become £10,000 richer as the psychedelic designs look set to be sold as part of an auction with Omega.
Clynes, who was working on a project to convert an old mill into a wine bar in Manchester 20 years ago, picked out the papers from a skip after they were tossed away and discarded as rubbish. “I picked them out of the skip,” Clynes told PA. “The case burst open as it was thrown in. It was raining and I just picked up what I could. I imagine there was a lot more there but it was damaged.”
The designs, which have been stored in the builder’s loft since 1999, were eventually painted on McCartney’s piano in 1967. “I’ve had them for 20-odd years. You put things away and forget about them and then something triggers your mind,” Clynes added.
He continued: “I haven’t planned what I’ll do with the money yet but I was surprised about the value.”
Speaking about the sale, auctioneer Paul Fairweather described the discovery as a “rare find” and confirmed that they will be sold as part of a large Beatles memorabilia collection.
“It’s fantastic that such an important archive was recovered and even better for our vendor that it should prove a lucrative decision to save them from the skip,” Fairweather said.
“The designs of BEV encapsulate the optimism, excitement and free spirit of collaboration that ensures that the late 1960s endure in the popular consciousness even to this day.”