DALLAS, TX.- A substantial lock of John Lennon's Beatles Mop Top hair – cut of in preparation for his role as Private Gripweed in the 1966 film "How I Won the War" is expected to sell for $10,000 in Heritage Auctions' Feb. 20 Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Auction in Dallas. The extraordinary, 4-inch lock is offered amidst 100 important examples of Beatles memorabilia, including what's being called "likely the greatest signed Beatles photograph known to exist."

"This is the largest lock of John Lennon's hair ever offered at auction," said Garry Shrum, Director of Music Memorabilia at Heritage. "It comes from a very important time in his career and the provenance is impeccable."

The lock is from the private collection of Klaus Baruck, the hairdresser who trimmed Lennon's famous hair in Hamburg, Germany, just before his starring role as in Richard Lester's dark comedy about a fictional British army troop and their misadventures in World War II. The keepsake is accompanied by a newspaper clipping and a photo showing Baruck's hand holding the lock of John's hair and is captioned: "Immediately picked up and tucked away: a clump of hair that had been John Lennon's, cut yesterday."

Another rare Beatles discovery is an 8 x 10 Black and White Glossy Photograph of the band by Dezo Hoffman, boldly signed by all four members on Dec. 17, 1963. The letter is accompanied by two letters of authenticity from Beatles experts Frank Caiazzo and Perry Cox suggesting that this photograph is very likely the greatest Beatles signed photograph known to exist (est. $40,000+).

A Gem Mint 10 Sealed Copy of The Beatles Yesterday and Today "Butcher Cover" from 1966. "This is by far one of the finest copies of the very limited number of "first state" albums that were released to a small audience," Shrum said. "This copy is a worthy addition to the most advanced Beatle collections."

Additional Beatles keepsakes in the auction include an Unused Ticked from the first U.S. Concert held in Washington, DC in 1964 (est. $10,000+) and an Astrid Kirchherr-Signed Photograph "Die Beatles auf dem "Hamburger Dom" (Hamburg, 1960), depicting the fresh-faced band member at the Hamburg Fun Fair, including Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best (est. $1,200+).

Dozens of examples of rare concert posters include one of the rarest known to exist: a "Batman" Fillmore Auditorium Poster BG-2 for Big Brother and the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service (est. $20,000+). Considered one of the toughest to find in first printing state, this rare survivor has undergone extensive restoration and is in Near Mint Restored condition. As if that wasn't enough, artist Wes Wilson hand-signed the poster in the lower right corner.

The auction's selection of more than 140 star autographs range from a snapshot of Elvis Presley, signed during a 1955 stop in Tyler, Texas (est. $2,500+) to signed photos from Abba to ZZ Top.

Nearly a dozen items from the personal collection of musician Neal Smith, preserved from his time in the Alice Cooper Band include his iconic Mirror Ball Drum Set from the 1973 Billion Dollar Babies Tour (est. $15,000+) and an Alice Cooper Stage-Used Guillotine from the tour (est. $10,000+).

Additional highlights include, but are not limited to:

• A Led Zeppelin "The Object" Promotional Statue (1976), est. $2,500+, plus other Zeppelin rarities includeing concert posters.

• A Stevie Ray Vaughn Signed 1979 Fender Stratocaster, est. $5,000+

• A White Matte Gold RIAA Record Award for the Rolling Stones Their Satanic Majesties Request (London NPS-2, 1967), est. $1,500+, as well as other White Matt autographs.