What’s it worth?
JAMIE BREESE
QI am trying to find out if my record by The Beatles is worth anything? It is the Magical Mystery Tour and has a booklet with two singles.
Ms Susan Meehan, via email
AThis iconic record cover by the Fab Four really is, er, fab. And you’d have to be a Fool On The Hill to think otherwise. Okay, enough Beatles puns! This 1967 classic EP was an accompaniment to the TV film of the same name. There are plenty around and value will hinge on condition. Genuine first issues in perfect nick and other rare versions will easily fetch over €100.
QI have a JA Michell Hydraulic Reference Transcription turntable, with SME tone arm fitted, but no dust cover. It’s in lovely condition and working. Any idea what it could be worth?
Keith Jones, via email
AWell, this is a first in 18 years! Nobody has ever written to me about this wonderful record player – famously seen several times in the iconic 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange. Your fabulous item, with its gold-plated weights and extraordinary design, could be worth €1,700 to €2,200. It was made in the early 1960s by Transcriptors, is quite a specialist item and a precise value depends of several factors which may not be apparent from your photo. A fantastic item and a real gem of British design which can still be used and appreciated today.
QI own the first series of Brooke Bond tea cards called British Birds. I have the album too. I collected these in the mid-1950s and wondered if anybody would be interested in these sorts of things today?
Michael Manners, West Kensington, London
AMore than 50 sets of Brooke Bond tea cards were released between 1954 and the early 2000s. The variety of subjects and the fact that they were free made them an ideal collectable and they are often found at specialist fairs. A set in good condition could fetch €60.