Missing Beatles tablecloth returned

LOS ANGELES

A tablecloth that all four members of The Beatles doodled on before a 1966 show has been returned to its California owners more than five decades after it was stolen.

The one-of-a-kind souvenir was created by the Fab Four as they feasted on steak ahead of a concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, their last ticketed performance.

The food had been provided by local caterer Joe Vilardi, whose tablecloth got defaced by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, along with folk singer Joan Baez.

But instead of washing his white linen, Vilardi put it on display in his shop window from where it was swiped in an overnight burglary less than a week later.

The tablecloth, which had been well preserved during its long absence, was soon back in Vilardi’s hands.

“It was quite an emotional moment because we never knew we’d ever see this thing again, and we’d all grown up hearing the story.”

Now the unique piece of Beatles history, which features Lennon’s drawing of a sunset in yellow crayon and a series of sketched portraits by McCartney and Baez, as well as signatures of Starr and Harrison, is going under the hammer in an online auction.

Auctioneers Bonhams estimate it could fetch up to $25,000 on Oct. 19.