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Five hundred Sir Ringo Starr ‘Peace and Love’ statues to be sold for charity

The gesture is the former Beatles drummer’s signature greeting and symbolises his message of ‘positivity and light’ to the world.
The gesture is the former Beatles drummer’s signature greeting and symbolises his message of ‘positivity and light’ to the world.

Sir Ringo Starr has unveiled a collection of five hundred life-size statues of his famous Peace and Love hand gesture, which are to be sold online for charity.

The gesture is the former Beatles drummer’s signature greeting and symbolises his message of “positivity and light” to the world.

Two hundred and fifty stainless steel and 250 bronze original artworks, designed and signed by Sir Ringo, will each come with a certificate of authenticity and be housed in a Ringo Peace and Love box.

Stainless-steel versions of the statue will go on sale for 5,000 dollars (£4,200) (Julien’s Auctions/PA)

Each statue is 9.84 inches tall with a 4.72 inch base and weighs 3.5 pounds, with the stainless-steel versions on sale for 5,000 dollars (£4,200) and the bronze for 2,000 dollars (£1,600).

Proceeds from the sale, available exclusively online at Julien’s Auctions, will go towards The Lotus Foundation.

The organisation supports charitable projects aimed at advancing social welfare in diverse areas including, substance abuse, domestic abuse victims, homelessness, and animals in need.

Sir Ringo, 82, has become synonymous with the symbol and its message, which has become the focal point of his annual Peace and Love birthday global celebrations, which feature a star-studded lineup of musical friends and family.

Bronze statues will go on sale for for 2,000 dollars (£1,600) (Julien’s Auctions/PA)

He has also commissioned the erection of an 800-pound stainless steel monument of the hand symbol in his adopted hometown of Beverly Hills, California.

Julien’s Auctions has broken world records with previous sales of Beatles memorabilia including Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit which sold for a record 2.2 million dollars (£1.85million), The Beatles White Album owned by Ringo and John Lennon’s acoustic guitar which sold for a record 2.4 million dollars (£2 million).

Last month, Sir Ringo was forced to cancel  the remainder of his North American tour after testing positive for Covid-19 twice in two weeks.