After years of being in a scrapbook since the early 1960s, a slice of George Harrison's uneaten toast has now found a new home after going through an auction.
Joseph O'Donnell, a collector who was well-known for his love of Beatles memorabilia, reportedly bought the toast that Harrison had left behind when he visited his family home in the early 1960s. According to The Daily Express, O'Donnell, whose website is devoted to the acquisition of Beatles and music relics, paid an undisclosed sum for the item.
O'Donnell expressed his enthusiasm to the publication, stating that he will treasure and keep telling other Beatles fans about the toast. "It's a brilliant story that is both bizarre, historical and a story I'll continue telling friends, memorabilia collectors and fellow Beatles fans," he stated.
The history of the toast is fascinating. Sue Houghton, a 15-year-old Beatles fan, first gathered it when she noticed the bread crust left on Harrison's plate while she was at his house. After carefully putting the crust in a scrapbook, she wrote the date there: "Piece of George's breakfast. 2-8-63." The day before the Beatles' last performance at Liverpool's Cavern Club, the venue where their career started, makes the day noteworthy.
The toast had previously brought in a substantial amount at auction in 1991. At a Christie's auction in London, the piece of toast brought a total of $94,800, together with a love note that John Lennon wrote to his ex-wife Cynthia.
In a 1992 interview with VOX magazine, Harrison, who is known for his sense of humor, made a joke about the toast's genuineness despite its worth. "I finished my toast! "I didn't ever leave any!" he laughed.
Despite its strange appearance, the toast holds sentimental significance for Houghton, who frequently attended the Beatles' performances at the Cavern Club. She revealed that she concentrated on gathering tiny, seemingly unimportant objects from the Beatles' daily lives in a 1995 interview with Yeah! magazine. She claimed that the band would probably never miss these personal artifacts, which made them even more meaningful to her.
Houghton also remembered her time in the Harrison residence, where she was frequently greeted by Louise, George's mother, and given permission to look about George's room. Harrison also wrote Houghton a letter thanking him for the chocolates and flowers she had given his mother, and jokingly requesting her to wash his car—something Houghton had done after asking Louise if she could assist.
A 12-string guitar played by John Lennon during the recording of Help! sold for $2.85 million in May 2025 after being found in an attic, demonstrating the continued high demand for Beatles memorabilia.