By Linzi Watson

Last updated 13:39, Monday, 01 December 2008

A rare gold Beatles disc valued at £3,000 was one of the items brought along to a pop memorabilia valuation day in Carlisle.

David Young, left, from Carlisle, receives a valuation from Paul Wane

In its original frame and box, the 1965 disc, which commemorates the sale of one million copies of the single We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper, is owned by David Young, of Stanwix.

The valuation day, held at The Lakes Court Hotel, Court Square and organised by Lancashire collectibles firm Tracks Limited, also saw posters and autographs by the Beatles and Laurel and Hardy.

Mr Young, a self -confessed “collect-aholic” and avid fan of the Liverpool Fab Four, has a room in his house dedicated to the band.

He said: “I have much more but I couldn't fit it all in the car.

“The gold disc is the most valuable of the lot but it is not for sale.”

Mr Young said he bought the disc from a friend who lived in Wigton 20 years ago for £500, after it was originally rescued from a skip in London.

Mr Young added: “I knew I had to have it when it was offered to me, you just don’t turn that sort of thing down. But I remember being short of cash for a while after I bought it! It is not for sale, no way.”

Paul Wane, owner of Tracks, said: “The disc is the kind of thing we came here today looking for.

“We have never been to Carlisle before but we know that the Beatles played here so are hoping for some rarer pieces.

“There is an enduring interest in Beatles memorabilia and autographs.

“And the group did take the time to sign things.”

He added that an original Beatles concert poster for Carlisle could reach values of £6,000.

“The Who, who also played in Carlisle, are becoming more popular among collectors, and memorabilia which would have been difficult to sell five or six years ago is desirable now,” said Mr Wane.

He added that original Rolling Stones concert poster from gigs played in Carlisle could also fetch £2,000.

Mr Wane said: “We will buy collectibles from those who want to sell them on but we also offer a valuation service.

“A lot of these gold discs are counterfeit and around 90 per cent of Beatles autographs are bogus, so valuation days are a chance for people to make sure what they have is the genuine article.”

Paul Wane can be contacted at paul@tracks.co.uk