This week at Christies in London, never before seen Beatles photographs sold for $360,000 at auction.

The Beatles Illuminated: The Discovered Works of Mike Mitchell, was a collection of photographs taken by a then 18 year old fan. Mitchell who was given the responsibilty of photographing the biggest band in the world on their first tour of North America and legendary apperance on the Ed Sullivan show.

The photos that he took showed the band before their massive fame broke, behind the scenes, on stage, and travelling from show to show. After Mitchell filed all his shots away, for nearly 50 years - until recently when he thought his collection could reignite the Beatle mania of that time.

“Many Americans emerging from the sleep-walking fifties saw the Beatles as very strange creatures indeed. Most of the establishment press treated them as a mere novelty. My generation, however, felt an immediate connection with them and still do,” said Mitchell.

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