A cardboard gnome that appears on the cover of the Beatles' seminal Sgt Pepper album has sold.
The piece of music history realised $42,500 in Heritage Auctions' entertainment memorabilia auction in Beverly Hills on April 18-19.
Heritage commented: "Designer Peter Blake worked with the Beatles to stage the cover, which was filled with lifesize cardboard likenesses of famous figures such as Mae West and Bob Dylan behind the Beatles.
 The gnome can be seen at the bottom left of the cover |
"Among the smaller items in the foreground was this garden gnome, which appears on the cover to the right of George's leg.
"At the end of the cover session on March 30, 1967, the gnome was chosen as a memento by an assistant to cover photographer Michael Cooper, and it was signed by the Beatles immediately following the shoot."
Other Beatles related lots in the auction included a sealed copy of Yesterday and Today with the infamous "butcher" cover. It sold for $20,000.
The design was used on the earliest release of the US album, and shows the band smiling cheerfully while covered in meat and dismembered baby dolls.
It was withdrawn almost immediately after its release following a backlash from various American DJs, many of who refused to play it until it was changed.
Click here to take a look at our stunning range of Beatles memorabilia.
Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about memorabilia auctions.
