Ringo Starr Loses Old Beatles Pictures; How Much Would They Be Worth If Found?

Ringo Starr has reportedly misplaced a vast majority of photographs that document the early days of the Beatles.

According to a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Ringo says I don't know where they are . . . I wish I did. There's been several moves and things happen.

During the early days of the Beatles, Starr often traveled with a camera and took photos of the group behind the scenes, from rehearsing on The Ed Sullivan Show, to goofing around on the set of their 1965 movie, Help!

In a number of photographs, Starr is seen taking his own pictures, the large amount of which have never been released -- something which will never change, unless the photos surface in the future.

Starr tells Rolling Stone that he hopes they might pop up unexpectedly one day, since it's happened before -- about a decade ago.

The former Beatles drummer at one point uncovered a bunch of postcards from his bandmates and published them in the 2004 book, Postcards from the Boys.

I found a box on my shelf and was like, 'What the hell is that?' Starr recalls.

And it was full of the postcards. At the time we were moving house yet again, and the secretary I had at the time decided to put them all in envelopes and put them in a shoebox. That's how I found out I still had them. So you never know -- one day I may find another box with all my photos.

Although Starr doesn't seem very concerned about finding the lost photos any time soon, the historical captures could be worth major money.

If the proper person put them up for auction, depending on how many there are, these photos could be worth anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000, Jim Berkenstadt, Owner of Rock and Roll Detective, told IBTimes.

Berkenstadt suggests that the while the pictures are valued in that range, the amount of money to be made off of them is unlimited.

Rightfully owned photos can be licensed out and reprinted in a book or magazine for a given fee, the Rock and Roll Detective said.

The first question to ask though -- has Ringo's copyright on the pictures run out? Berkenstadt added.

According to U.S. Copyright law, as soon as Starr snapped those pictures, he had legal rights to the pictures and their negatives, because they were his artistic creation.

The law also states that if someone re-prints or makes money off of a copyrighted work without authorization, the owner may be entitled to bring an infringement action against that person.

In the end, Ringo is technically entitled to his photos, wherever they are, as copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.