The house at 20 Forthlin Road in Liverpool is where the Beatles star lived with his family from 1955 until late 1963 before he rose to fame.
The key to Sir Paul McCartney’s childhood home is to go on sale at auction, where it is expected to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000.
The house, at 20 Forthlin Road in Liverpool, has been owned by the National Trust since 1995, and is where the Beatles star lived with his family from 1955 until late 1963 before he rose to fame.
Built in 1949 and owned by the local authority, the McCartney family moved into the property in 1955 when the musician was at secondary school.
He lived there with his parents, Mary and Jim McCartney and his younger brother Mike. Sadly, only a year after the family moved in, Mary died.
It was at 20 Forthlin Road that Sir Paul learned to play trumpet, piano, guitar and drums.
The singer relocated to London in 1963 and his father moved out the following year.
The house then became owned by Ashley and Sheila Jones, who had frequent visits from Beatles fans over the years.
The house key came into the possession of 13-year-old Beatles fan Kathleen Salt, maiden name Duffy, from New York after she wrote a letter addressed to Occupant, 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton, Liverpool.
Months later, to her astonishment, she received a three-page handwritten reply from Ashley Jones.
Mr Jones explained that he had been given two original keys to the property and believed the key he was sending Kathy could have been Sir Paul’s own key.
For Ms Salt, the arrival of the letter and key was nothing short of miraculous.
More than six decades later, she still vividly remembers the excitement of receiving the package, saying: “If hope could be sealed into an envelope, surely, miraculously, I’d managed to do that.”
Ms Salt’s father, Frank Duffy, provided security for the band during their first American tour in 1964 and took the opportunity to ask them for autographs for his daughter, each inscribed to “Kathy”.
These will also be offered by Dominic Winter in the same sale in October.
Ms Salt’s collection of memorabilia includes the Beatles’ signatures, alongside Murray “the K” Kaufman’s autograph – a DJ who heavily promoted the group in the US.
It also includes two press photographs and an original February 1964 National Airlines employee newsletter, featuring an article about the Beatles’ journey and Mr Duffy role in providing their security.
One of the photographs accompanying the autographs shows the Beatles boarding their National Airlines aircraft with Mr Duffy visible behind John Lennon, while another captures Lennon and George Harrison with Mr Duffy and Murray the K at the terminal before departure.
The newsletter featuring a one-page article is titled Yeah Yeah Yeah and shows the frenzied Beatlemania and press entourage surrounding the flight from departure to arrival. These all carry an estimate of £3,000 to £5,000.
Among Ms Salt’s other memorabilia are her ticket stub for some of their concerts in 1964 and 1965 and ticket stubs for showings of the Beatles’ films A Hard Day’s Night and Help!
She also has a piece of a sheet used by the Beatles at the Hotel Madison in Boston, mounted on an original printed certificate of authenticity, which was produced to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, together with its accompanying envelope addressed to Kathy Duffy and postmarked November 23 1965.
The group lot carries an estimate of £300 to £500.
Ms Salt hopes that her collection will find new homes, where its significance will be understood and appreciated by another generation of Beatles fans.
Reflecting on the decision to sell, she described it as passing on the baton of custodianship, adding: “I’m hopeful that my treasures might become someone else’s to hold dear.”
Referring to the key, Chris Albury, director at Dominic Winter auctioneers, said: “It is unusual to encounter a Beatles artefact with such compelling provenance.
“The key offers a uniquely personal connection to one of the most famous addresses in Beatles history, made all the more remarkable by the story behind its discovery.
“Objects with quite such a direct and personal connection to the Beatles rarely come on to market and we expect this exceptional piece to generate considerable global interest at auction.”
The auction will take place on Wednesday, October 7.
