The sketches, which are expected to fetch more than $16,000 (£10,000), feature line portraits of three figures who look like members of the band, and were found in an attic by the seller.

The drawings are the star item among more than 300 lots being auctioned at the Annual Beatles Memorabilia Auction at Liverpool's Institute of Performing Art's Paul McCartney Auditorium

Also featured are Beatles trading cards, Beatles breakfast bowls, a Christmas card signed by Yoko Ono, and an 800-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Stephen Bailey, manager of The Beatles Shop, which organises the auction, tells the Liverpool Echo, "Every year we're just amazed by what goes in for auction and each year there's something new that we're surprised to see - it's just fantastic."

Previous stand-out items featured in the auction have included John Lennon's toilet and a set of five signatures, including that of original drummer Pete Best, which sold for more than £21,000 in 2013.