Ringo Starr’s Beatles’ drum kit sells for $2.2m at auction

A drum kit that Ringo Starr used to record some of the Beatles’ early hits has sold for $2.2m at an auction to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.

 
Julien’s Auctions says Irsay bought the 1963 Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl three-piece drum kit Friday at a sale in Beverly Hills, California.

The two-day auction includes more than 800 items owned by Ringo Starr and his wife, actress Barbara Bach.

Starr used the kit in more than 200 performances between May 1963 and February 1964.

He also played it on recordings including Can’t Buy Me Love, She Loves You, All My Loving and I Want to Hold Your Hand.

A portion of the auction’s proceeds will benefit the couple’s Lotus Children Foundation, which focuses on global social welfare issues.