A RARE Beatles record found in a charity shop has been flogged for more than £4,200.

The “incredibly rare” pressing of the Fab Four’s debut studio album Please Please Me was donated to the Cancer Research UK charity shop in Enfield, north London.

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Store manager Jaime-Marie Madden initially thought the record might be worth a few hundred pounds so kept it off the shop floor.

But it was discovered to be a first pressing of the original masters of 1963’s Please Please Me, which bears the black Parlophone label with gold text.

It was processed by a dedicated online trading team and listed on eBay with a starting price of £1,499.99.

But bids caused the price to soar before it eventually sold for a whopping £4,211.89.

Mrs Madden said: “When I first saw the vinyl I thought it might only be worth a few hundred pounds.

“The record was in good condition, with only a few stains, but the cover was quite damaged and worn, with a cut on the bottom, some scuffs, stains, aging and stains.

‘It even had a name written on the back.

“Thankfully, at Cancer Research UK we are trained to spot donations that can raise more money for life-saving cancer research.

“So after taking a few pictures and Googling the record, I knew we had something special.”

Ms Madden said she was thrilled that her spot had raised such a huge amount for Cancer Research UK, a leading cancer charity committed to saving lives through research, influence and information.

She added: “I packed it securely and sent it to our online marketplace team who spent more time researching the value of the item and then listed it on our eBay marketplace.

“I kept an eye on it and couldn’t believe my eyes when it sold for £4.2k.

“We are always grateful to people who donate to charity and we always try to get the most out of donations.

“It’s great to see this money going to such an important cause.”

Mike Kuklenko, vinyl record specialist from Harper Field Auctioneers And Valuers, said: “What a great story! Please Please Me by The Beatles, in this format is an incredibly rare record, and a great spot from Jaime-Marie.

“I’ve seen a few stories like this in my time as a professional vinyl appraiser.

“People have shared their old collections, thinking it would make a few quid, and I have been lucky enough to be the one to surprise them with the fact that they have one or two gemstones worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

“In this case, it’s fantastic to see all this money going to life-saving cancer research. What a find!”

It comes after a guest on Antiques Roadshow was stunned to discover how much money his John Lennon memorabilia would fetch at auction.

Together with auctioneer Raj Bisram, he proudly displayed the house number of the Beatles legend’s childhood home.

The song was originally mounted on the gate of Lennon’s aunt Mimi at 251 Menlove Avenue in Liverpool.

Explaining how he got the license plate, he said: “When John Lennon’s family decided to sell their house in 1965, a couple bought it and lived there for a few months and then moved out.

“Then the next couple who bought it didn’t tell them it was John Lennon’s house, so they moved in.

“They were having breakfast one morning and there were five people in their front yard taking pictures – then they realized they were living in John Lennon’s house,” he added.

Raj asked if he’d ever thought about selling it, to which the man replied, “I’ve never thought about selling it, and honestly, I don’t think I ever would. I just enjoy to have it in the family.”

But Raj believed he might change his mind.

He said: ‘If that went to a specialist Beatles sale it would easily make £5,000 to £8,000 but it could double that, it could really double that.

“I think this is a great little piece of Beatles memorabilia.”

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An iconic waterlogged shirt worn by Colin Firth in the 1995 drama Pride and Prejudice has sold for an eye-watering sum at auction.

Many will remember the scene where the actor, who played Fitzwilliam Darcy, walked through dripping wet fields after a dip in the lake.

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Oscar winner Firth starred opposite Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet in the TV series adaptation of the classic novel Pride and prejudices.

In a memorable scene where the shirt was front and centre, Miss Bennet was surprised to find Mr Darcy wet and not properly dressed when she visited him at his estate, Pemberley.

Firth’s costume was donated by a costume house founded by Oscar and Bafta-winning designer John Bright in 1965, Cosprop, to raise money for the arts education charity, The Bright Foundation.

The shirt sold at auction yesterday for a whopping £20,000, beating its estimate of £7,000 to £10,000.

In total, the auction, organized by Kerry Taylor Auctions in London, raised £285,300.

Bright said: “My life’s work has been costume design for film, TV and theater and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to follow this path.

“It is my firm belief that art and creativity can build happier and healthier children and enable young people to reach their full potential.”

Other notable pieces sold at the auction include a vintage 1950s Christian Dior taffeta ball gown, worn by Madonna in 1996’s Evita, for £40,000, and Johnny Depp’s Sleepy Hollow costume for £24,000 .

There were also numerous other costumes on display worn by the likes of Julie Andrews, Jude Law, Tom Hardy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Judi Dench, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightley, Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Taylor and Renee Zellweger. .

A new batch of items has now been added to the online-only portion of the auction, which runs until March 10.

Hollywood actor Johnny Depp donated an original untitled work of art, dated 2023.

It is made with acrylic paint, Liquitex paint marker and fineliner and is signed.

He said: ‘Unfortunately, too many young, emerging artists do not have access to the right resources and opportunities needed to hone their craft.

“I hope my artwork will help provide those tools in a way that will best enable them to succeed.”

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A RARE 20p coin has sold for 300 times its face value after a bidding war took place on eBay.

The coin rose in value due to an error by the Royal Mint after the undated silver piece was released into circulation.

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The 20 cent piece is called a “mule” or “undated” and the country was littered with thousands when they were accidentally released into circulation.

The Royal Mint’s mistake was caused after they changed the design in 2008 and moved the date on it from the back of the coin to the front.

However, some silver pieces were made with the old die, which meant there was no date on either side of the coin.

This particular mule is one of them and was listed on the bidding site eBay for 99p, but sold for an impressive £59.58 on February 27, it was reported The mirror.

The listing read: “I am selling my coin collection and there will be so many other coins listed, don’t miss this.

“Dateless 20p coin. All coins are sent as special consignment by Royal Mail.”

It is estimated by the company that there could be as many as 250,000 of these coins in circulation, and according to Change Checker, this is the first undated coin to be issued on both sides in three centuries.

The Royal Mint makes between three and four million coins a day, so it can be difficult for them to say exactly how many coins with errors are in circulation.

But it is not the only coin that has been sold for a tidy profit

In 2015, a particular £2 naval coin was minted to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

The coin depicts a Royal Navy dreadnought sailing across the North Sea, with a biplane flying in the sky behind it.

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A FRUGAL fashionista has discovered a designer find while shopping at the thrift store.

The shoes she scored from the thrift store are available online for $1,000 and nearly made people cry.

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Vanessa Nagel (@vanessaleen) filmed himself in the footwear in a video on TikTok.

“Found Gucci in my size at the thrift store? Bye,” the text read.

She picked up the pair of designer shoes and modeled them for the camera.

They’re called the 2015 Re-Edition Women’s Princetown and retail for $1090 at Gucci.

“The Ouverture collection presents emblematic looks and links to Gucci’s rich history,” reads the product description.

The Princetown slipper is fully lined and trimmed with wool and then finished with the house’s signature Horsebit detail.”

“Your sign to go to the thrift store,” read the text.

The video attracted many viewers who shared their thoughts in the comments section.

“I would cry. How much?” noted a thrifty fashionista.

‘Where do you actually live anyway? [crying emoji]’, said another about the find.

“Slay,” a third commented.

It wasn’t the first time Nagel came across designer finds while shopping secondhand.

Still inside another videoshe filmed herself wearing several throwback pieces from Chanel.

The designer’s basics were displayed on an estate sale rack.

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A RARE 50p coin has sold for 284 times its value after a bidding war on eBay.

The 2009 coin sold for £142 on the online marketplace and is one of the most “sought after” 50p coins.

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As many as 210,000 coins were minted to commemorate 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759.

One side shows the Great Pagoda, built in 1762, with a decorated vine climbing around the tower, while the back shows the head of the late Queen Elizabeth.

On eBay, the coin was listed at £19.99 as a starting bid, but grew to £142 through a three-way bidding.

The Royal Mint has made a 2009 version and a 2019 version.

The later version doesn’t sell as much but can still go for around £70 or £80.

However, the coin is no stranger to even higher bids, as The Sun previously spotted the Kew Gardens 50p selling for a whopping £580.

And one eBay bidder paid £895 for an authentic example of the Kew Gardens 50p.

One coin previously sold for £707, while another sold for £310 after 29 bids in February last year.

There are currently dozens of Kew coins for sale on eBay, with the most expensive currently priced at £245.

One version of the coin sold for £7,000 in 2023 as there were only 629 gold proof coins.

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Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘House of Sin’ flat in Paris – where Prince Andrew lived – has sold for just over £8 million after the price had to be heavily reduced.

The disgraced financier and pedophile is said to have raped underage girls in the Parisienne apartment where he committed some of his worst sex crimes.

The luxury French flat, near the Arc de Triomphe, has sold to a Bulgarian investor for £8.2 million – £2 million less than the asking price.

The lair was once decorated with Epstein’s skull and eyeball artwork, but is now shuttered and empty. The sun reports. Sources claim that some of the proceeds from the sale could be given to Epstein’s victims in the future.

It comes as French police have been asked to reopen an investigation into the suicide of Epstein’s French ‘pimp’, Jean-Luc Brunel, who allegedly procured more than 1,000 women and girls for the financier to sleep with.

The fashion agent was in his mid-70s when he was found hanging in his cell at La Sante prison in Paris in February 2022 while serving time for supplying underage girls to the financier.

Virginia Roberts Guiffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, also claimed to have been abused by Brunel.

The flat in Paris where both Andrew and Brunel met Epstein has been sold to Bulgarian plastic packaging businessman Georgi Tuchev, who brokered it through Sotheby’s for £360,000.

A source involved in the deal told The Sun: ‘It is claimed that some of the money from the proceeds will eventually be used to compensate the victims of Epstein’s sex ring.

‘It is clear that the history of the building did not assist the sales process and it sold for significantly less than the asking price.

“The dark past must have something to do with that, as well as the fact that the building was considered a crime scene for a long time.”

The Parisian source claimed that socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years behind bars for sex trafficking crimes, and Andrew were also guests.

Another investigative source said the apartment “remains interesting.”

Andrew was allegedly told by Epstein to treat the second-floor apartment “like his own” – and most of his travels came after the sex offender was convicted in 2008 of abusing young women.

A French investigation was launched in August 2019 after prosecutors learned that Brunel and Andrew both allegedly abused Guiffre.

Andrew claims he has no memory of meeting Guiffre, despite there being a photo of them together in Maxwell’s London townhouse.

Both Andrew and Brunel are said to have spent time in the Paris flat around the time of the alleged crimes, but there is no evidence to suggest the Duke was involved in any crimes there.

Police arrested Brunel in December 2020 as he tried to board a plane to Dakar, Senegal. He told investigators, “I’m going on vacation.”

Bruenl was charged by French police after being accused of supplying young girls to Epstein through his modeling agency connections.

One of the accusations was that he would fly three underage sisters from a residential area in Paris to America as a ‘birthday present’ for Epstein.

The sale of the flat comes after the Duke of York was dragged back into the spotlight last month after recently released court documents released in the US alleged Andrew had an orgy with underage girls and touched a woman’s breast while he posed with a doll of himself. .

Andrew has always denied all allegations.

SUPERMARKET giant Aldi has launched a strong new product just in time for Easter.

It's an alcoholic chocolate drink inspired by one of the nation's favorite treats: Cadbury Creme Eggs.

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Limited Edition Ballycastle Chocolate Crème is described as “a wonderfully smooth Irish Cream blend with delicate hints of chocolate and sweet vanilla.”

The brilliant drink is available in Aldi stores and costs just €7.69 for the 70cl bottle.

It comes as another Creme Egg-inspired product also recently hit shelves.

In December, Cadbury released a new Creme Egg chocolate bar that has taken the confectionery world by storm.

Chocoholics just can't get enough of the new bar with one reading, “I'm in heaven,” and the other saying, “Omg I love it!! Already had a few bars lol.”

However, despite the positive reactions, some were not so happy with the new product.

One person complained, “The cream bars aren't a patch on the real cream eggs,” and another agreed, “Same! Not a fan! Way too sugary, all I feel is regular sugar in my mouth.”

Aldi also made headlines with their incredible prices on children's Easter eggs, selling for just 99 cents.

The festive treats will be offered at reduced prices within a few days.

The discount store announced its Easter deals this week, including milk chocolate eggs and bunnies for 99 cents.

Aldi is also selling £1.99 mug melts, which come in the shapes of a white chocolate unicorn, a milk chocolate chick and a milk chocolate dinosaur.

An Easter egg hunt pack is also being sold, with a whopping 24 chocolate treats to hide (and a large golden egg to win) for £3.49.

New chocolates are also being released, including a space 'galeggsy' egg and a gummy-filled pinata egg.

By Rebekah Absalom

Published: 03:14 EST, February 14, 2024 | Updated: 05:25 EST, February 14, 2024