A key to Sir Paul McCartney's childhood home has sold for thousands of pounds at auction.

During the 1950s and 60s, Sir Paul lived with his family at 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton, Liverpool, and composed some of the earliest Beatles' tracks with John Lennon there.

Sir Paul moved out in 1963, and his father and brother in the following year. In 1965, American superfan Kathy Salt wrote to then-occupant Ashley Jones, who enclosed a photograph of the house and a key, with a tag attached, in his letter back.

The three items were sold to a British private collector at Dominic Winter Auctioneers in the Cotswolds on Wednesday, fetching a hammer price of £5,000 - double the estimate.

With fees, the buyer paid £6,100, and a collection of four autographs from the band, each inscribed to "Kathy" - the fan to whom the key belonged - sold for a total of £5,124.

Chris Albury, director at Dominic Winter Auctioneers, said the level of competition during the bidding "demonstrates that the Beatles' popularity remains as strong as ever".

"What makes these particular pieces so extraordinary is the deeply personal links to the band and to the people and places that formed part of their story," he said.

"The 20 Forthlin Road key is an example; it has a remarkable provenance stretching back to 1965 and provides a tangible connection to Paul McCartney's family home and to one of the most important addresses in Beatles history.

"To see it sell for £6,100 for three times its low estimate after such strong bidding was a fantastic result."

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