Up Close & Peculiar
More than 100 years ago, the globetrotting Robert Ripley began collecting artifacts from his journeys around the world, which today form the heart of the greatest collection of oddities ever assembled. Up Close & Peculiar brings the curious history of these pieces to a personal level as our very own, Allyson Iovino, explores the strange relics that lie within our Warehouse walls! Become a part of the story as we share pieces for every history buff, pop culture junkie, and oddities collector alike.
Today: Beatles Memorabilia
Taking the music world by storm in the 60s, The Beatles' imaginative and groundbreaking music made an impact that still lives on today. This Global Beatles Day, let's take a look at some of the items from our Beatles collection.
The extremely rare Beatles Apple Watch was sold at The Apple Boutique in London in 1967. The boutique was a smaller part of the band’s Apple Corps company, which housed their music publishing company, film company, and even an electronics company.
The Apple Boutique was only open for 8 months before closing for good because it simply wasn’t profitable. Before they closed, they did make a few products, including the apple watch. Because they were sold for such a short amount of time, they are very rarely seen anymore.
Now I’m sure you’re wondering, if the Beatles had a brand called Apple, how is Apple also called Apple? Isn’t that a strange crossover? The Beatles thought it was too! There are rumors that Steve Job’s may have named the company after his love for the band, but that was never actually confirmed. The names did cause a little bit of a kerfuffle for the companies when in 1978, Apple Records sued Apple Computers for copyright infringement. They settled the case in 1981, with the condition that Apple Computers stayed out of the music industry. This was complicated when Apple Computers made computers that could play music, and subsequently when they made the iPod. Apple Records sued them two more times, until finally in 2007 Apple Computers took ownership of all trademarks related to Apple.
Our second item is a brick from the Strawberry Fields Salvation Army children's home in Liverpool. Strawberry Fields was originally an opulent mansion built in 1870 for a wealthy shipping mogul. Eventually, it was sold to the Salvation Army around 1936 and converted to a girl’s orphanage. John Lennon would often sneak in and play in their garden as a child, as a means to escape his tumultuous home situation, and these memories are what eventually inspired his song, Strawberry Fields Forever.
Our last object for today is an unassuming book belonging to the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. Within it is the personal information of anyone who was anyone in the '60s and '70s! Besides containing all four of the Beatles’ addresses and phone numbers, it also has the phone numbers of Mick Jagger, George Harrison, and a ton of other celebrities.
The Beatles' legacy is undeniable, with their music still having an influence on fans and artists today. Why not throw on one of their tunes, Come Together , and Twist and Shout to celebrate!
