Ballpoint signatures, 'John Lennon,' 'George Harrison,' 'Ringo Starr,' and 'Paul McCartney,' who adds 'The Beatles,' on the reverse of an off-white 4 x 5 Toast List to Her Majesty The Queen. Collector's notation along top reads 'Rougemont Hotel 15-11-1963 Exeter.' Accompanied by a letter of provenance which reads, 'At the time the Beatles appeared in Exeter, my boyfriend was a waiter at the Rougemont Hotel. That evening one of the Beatles phoned down for room service. Diego took the order up to the room. When he entered he found them sitting on the floor playing with a train set John had bought for his son Julian, this would probably have been the first train set as he was only five months old. Diego asked for their autographs which they signed for him whilst he waited.' The Ed Sullivan Show appearances were lined up by Beatles manager Brian Epstein during his November, 1963, visit to New York. Having previously reached an agreement with Sid Bernstein for the Beatles to play two shows at New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall, Epstein was looking for other American bookings. During his stay, he met with Sullivan, who by mere chance had witnessed the crowd of screaming fans at London's Heathrow Airport greeting the Beatles upon their return from a Scandinavian tour. Although Sullivan wanted the group on his show, he was reluctant to give in to Epstein's demand that the Beatles receive top billing. After four days of discussions, Sullivan agreed to three appearances by the Beatles, with top billing at a reduced rate. COA Roger Epperson/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
