Hearing them, however, was a different story. Upon taking the stage at the center of the Mets ballpark, it quickly became apparent that the band's specially designed 100-watt Vox amps were no match for the estrogen-fueled cacophony, and even the house amplification system proved an unworthy adversary. The Beatles found themselves unable to hear each other or even themselves, and as they closed the show with "I'm Down," John Lennon banged at his keyboard with his elbows as his bandmates roared with laughter. If there was ever a defining "Beatlemania" moment, it was August 15, 1965.

Presented is one of just a tiny handful of known Beatles signed baseballs, and the only example attributed to this largest and most famous concert in the band's history. The ONL (Giles) sphere finds Paul, John, George and Ringo surviving at an average strength of 8/10 in blue ballpoint ink. A notation in an unknown hand supplies attribution: "The Beatles, Shea Stadium N.Y.C., 8/15/65." The signatures are authenticated by Frank Caiazzo, the most respected authority on Beatles autographs whose paperwork is considered essential by every serious Fab Four collector. LOA from Frank Caiazzo.