All four members of the Beatles, Rolling Stones 'It' girls Marianne Faithfull and Anita Pallenberg and actor James Fox are among the celebrities who autographed the letter, which was sent to screenwriter Terry Southern as he worked on the adaptation of Anthony Burgess' novel in 1967.

The letter writer suggests Southern should cast rocker Jagger in the role of Alex and not actor David Hemmings, who was the frontrunner for the part at the time.

It reads: "We, the undersigned, do hereby protest with extreme vehemence as well as shattered illusions (in you) the preference of David Hemmings above Mick Jagger in the role of Alex in The Clockwork Orange."

Jagger originally bought the rights to Burgess' book but sold them to film producer Si Litvinoff.

Rock 'n' roll mythology suggests the frontman wanted to turn the adaptation into an all-Stones affair, with his bandmates playing Alex's depraved Droogs gang, while the Beatles reportedly offered their services for the film's soundtrack.

The project fell apart after Southern's disturbing screenplay was banned by officials at the British Board of Film Censors, and Stanley Kubrick eventually secured the rights to A Clockwork Orange and cast Malcolm MCDowell as Alex, while Warren Clarke, Michael Tarn and James Marcus played violent droogs Dim, Pete and Georgie.

The Jagger petition is expected to fetch up to $25,000 (£15,600). The online Paddle8 sale went live on Thursday (15Oct15) and the item will be available until 29 October (15), when it will go to the highest bidder.