"Photographs of The Beatles' first US concert, in Washington DC, have sold at a New York auction for $362,000 (£224,000).

Photographer Mike Mitchell took the pictures at the Washington Coliseum gig in 1964, when he was 18 years old.

The 50 silver gelatin prints, which were all sold individually, had been estimated to raise $100,000 (£62,000).

Photos of the Fab Four's second trip to the US that year, in Baltimore, were also sold at the Christie's auction.

Among the highlights of the sale was a backlit shot of the band that Mr Mitchell took while standing directly behind them, which sold for $68,500 (£42,300) - well above its pre-sale estimate of $2,000-$3,000 (£1,200-£1,900).

An image of Ringo Starr, capturing a rare moment as both drummer and lead singer, also sold for $8,125 (£5,000)." [BBC]

Memorabilia from some of punk rock's biggest acts and seminal moments -- including a scrawled flier for one of the Clash's first shows and publicity photos signed by the Sex Pistols -- is headed for a Nov. 24 Christie's auction.

The event, announced Tuesday, includes more than 120 records, photos and promotional pieces for such punk, garage rock and new wave legends as the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, the Ramones, David Bowie, Blondie, the Cure and the Smiths.

The auction is Christie's first to focus on punk mementos, signaling the collectible status of a brash, anti-authoritarian rock movement that largely thumbed its nose at posterity.

"We understand that tastes change, tastes mature," said Christie's pop-culture chief Simeon Lipman. "Ten years ago, punk memorabilia probably wouldn't be something we'd be auctioning here. But now, people of a certain age have a certain ability to splurge on this material." [AP]