Beatles waxworks sell for £81,500

Three of the "pepperheads" were used on the cover

A set of waxwork heads of The Beatles from their iconic Sgt Pepper's album cover have been sold for £81,500.

The "pepperheads" were auctioned off after recently being discovered in a back room at London's Madame Tussauds.

The busts of the Fab Four were the subject of frenzied bidding in the auction at the famous waxwork museum.

They were used in 1967 by artist Sir Peter Blake in the backdrop of the "Lonely Hearts Club Band" album with the actual Beatles posing at the front.

"They hadn't been seen for almost 20 years," a spokesman for auction house Cooper Owen said.

This isn't any old wax - these heads truly represent a slice of music history Louise Cooper, of Cooper Owen

"They're incredibly rare. Obviously there are various Beatles heads but these are on the most famous album cover of all time."

The busts of John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison were used on the cover and are those seen on the left wearing dark suits.

The waxwork head of Sir Paul McCartney was not used but is similar to the one used in the photo shoot.

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They were borrowed from Madame Tussauds for the shoot.

Sir Peter used 62 photographic enlargements to create the backdrop, while the real Beatles posed at the front.

"You wouldn't think that anyone would be willing to pay this much for some wax," Cooper Owen creative director Louise Cooper said.

"But this isn't any old wax - these heads truly represent a slice of music history."

The original Diana Dors portrait bust from the album cover was sold for £15,000.

A pair of signature Beatles jackets tailored for Lennon and used in the pre-promotion of Hard Day's Night raised £65,000.

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is regularly named among the best British albums and the cover has become an iconic piece of pop art.