George Harrison and Ringo Starr’s Help! jackets fetch $179,000 at Liverpool auction

George Harrison and Ringo Starr’s jackets worn in The Beatles’ 1965 film Help! have fetched £115,000 ($179,000) at a Liverpool auction.

Ringo Starr’s cape fetched £61,000 ($95,0000), while George Harrison’s sold for £54,000 ($84,000), including buyer’s premium. Both beat separate pre-sale valuations of £20,000-30,000.

Meanwhile, a piano used by Paul McCartney and John Lennon was bought by a South American collector for £57,500 ($90,000).

The 1907 Bechstein grand piano was used to compose the tracks Help! and Yesterday, according to Omega Auctions.

The piano and jackets were sold by Richard Lester, now 82, who directed Help! and The Beatles’ first film A Hard Day’s Night.

The auction took place at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool.

A cape, suit and sheet of handwritten lyrics belonging to Paul McCartney were withdrawn from auction after the star made a late legal challenge.

The rest of the sale went ahead on Thursday to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ hit Can’t Buy Me Love.