Dinner lady's Beatles autographs from the Town Hall go to auction

A postcard signed by all four Beatles, kept for 63 years by a Birmingham dinner lady who looked after the stars at the Town Hall, is expected to sell for more than £3,000 at auction.

Rose Moulder worked for Birmingham City Council's catering services, and from October 1961 to March 1969 she was responsible for hospitality for the artists who performed at the Town Hall. They included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Kinks and Bob Dylan, and Rose collected their autographs and kept them safe at home.

"The holy grail for Beatles collectors"

Rose died several years ago, and her collection is now being sold by Auctioneum in Bristol. It includes seven autograph albums, postcards, programmes and signed photographs, and could raise more than £4,000 in total.

The highlight is a postcard signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Andrew Stowe, the auctioneer, said: "It's one of the most exciting collections I've ever seen. There are seven autograph albums, each being a veritable 'who's who' of acts from the period. Every turn of a page reveals another icon."

"The Beatles performed at Birmingham Town Hall on 4 June 1963, right at the very start of Beatlemania. The tour started with Roy Orbison at the top of the bill, with the Beatles as a supporting act. By the time it reached Birmingham, The Beatles had been moved to top billing! To have such a clear and crisp set of signatures from this time is simply wonderful, and the 'holy grail' for Beatles collectors."

Other lots

An autograph album with the signatures of The Rolling Stones is expected to sell for more than £1,000, and another book including Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Kinks is estimated at more than £400.

Bidding is online only and closes on 22 October.

The Town Hall in the 1960s

Birmingham Town Hall, the Roman temple-style building in Victoria Square that opened in 1834, was one of the country's leading concert venues for well over a century. Mendelssohn conducted the first performance of his Elijah there in 1846, and in the 1960s it was a regular stop for the biggest names in pop and rock.

For many people who grew up in the city, a night at the Town Hall was their first chance to see a famous band.

The building closed in 1996 for a major restoration and reopened in 2007. It is now run with Symphony Hall by B:Music and still hosts concerts, comedy and talks.

Memories of the city

Rose's collection is a reminder of how ordinary Birmingham people found themselves close to musical history. Her job put her backstage with visiting performers, and over eight years she built up a remarkable record of who came through the doors.

Collections like hers often turn up when families clear the homes of relatives, and auctioneers say signed items from the early days of Beatlemania are among the most sought after, especially when they come with a clear story of where they came from.