George Harrison’s Unfinished Breakfast Toast from 1963 Just Sold at Auction

There are a few artists that have a fanbase as steadfast and fervent as The Beatles, and their fandom is so passionate, that one fan went so far as to recently purchase an unfinished piece of breakfast toast eaten by George Harrison. Yes, an individual spent a good deal of money to procure a piece of bread. also likely stale bread.

The piece of toast dates back to 1963 and according to Rolling Stone, the toast dates back to the eve of The Beatles’ final show at the infamous Liverpool venue, The Cavern Club. After it left Harrison’s hands, the toast was procured and sold at a 1991 auction as a part of a wider Beatles memorabilia collection for $94,800. Though recently, an avid Beatles collector named Joseph O’Donnell bought the slice of toast for an undisclosed price.

What George Harrison’s Piece of Toast Seemingly Symbolizes

In a quote exclusively given to Far Out, Joseph O’Donnell stated, “To me the toast perfectly sums up Beatlemania and the absolute manic obsession with the boys in the 1960s.” “It shows the lengths people will go to to be close to fame and their idols, so to me it’s priceless – even if it is very, very weird” and “Despite owning vinyl rarities, autographs, and all the rest, this is by far the most exciting piece in my collection,” concluded O’Donnell.

“It’s a brilliant story that is both bizarre, historical and a story I’ll continue telling friends, memorabilia collectors and fellow Beatles fans,” O’Donnell also shared with Rolling Stone. The individual who originally acquired the piece of toast was Sue Houghton. The 15-year-old Houghton allegedly took the toast after visiting Harrison’s childhood home in Liverpool. This whole transaction and the story behind it is incredibly questionable, and that being so, George Harrison was also incredibly skeptical about the toast being his.

In a 1992 interview with Vox, Harrison stated, “Well, I never authenticated it! That’s totally b—” and “I really dislike that. I ate all my toast, I never left any. The madness is the people selling it, and the people actually buying it.” Well, real or not, the money O’Donnell used to purchase the toast was certainly real, so he must believe the piece of bread is authentic.

Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/IMAGES/Getty Images