The Beatles' first recording and publishing contract is expected to fetch £50,000 when it goes under the hammer on Thursday (April 14).
The previously unseen document features the signatures of Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison, along with Pete Best, the drummer who was sacked to make way for Ringo Starr in 1962, reports The Independent.
Bert Kaempfert, an arranger and producer hired by the band at the time, is the fifth and final signatory on the document.
Signed in Hamburg on June 19 1961, the document was discovered by Fame Bureau in Switzerland earlier this month.
Ted Owen, a representative for the auctioneers, commented: "The most important thing about this contract is that we didn't know it existed. It's gold dust."
The contract will go under the hammer at the Theatre Royal in London.
Last year, a handwritten lyrics sheet for The Beatles 'A Day In The Life' fetched $1.2 million (£732,000) at Sotheby's in New York.
---nme.com
