Rare Photo of The Beatles Walking "Backwards" on Abbey Road Sells for $25,000

A rare photo by Iain Macmillan showing The Beatles walking in the wrong direction across London's Abbey Road sold for £16,000 -- about $25,000 US -- at auction today, May 22, at Bloomsbury Auction House in London.

The photo shows the band -- from left, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison -- walking from right to left across the famous zebra crossing near Abbey Road Studio, where the band recorded the bulk of their EMI catalog, including their 1969 album, Abbey Road.

It's also worth noting that McCartney is wearing sandals (He's barefoot on the album cover), and the cigarette he's holding on the official version is nowhere to be found.

The photo was expected to sell for around £9,000 ($14,000). The bidding began at £6,000 ($9,500), but things got out of hand, and bidders pushed it to £16,000 in less than a minute.

For more about Bloomsbury Auctions, visit bloomsburyauctions.com. For more about The Beatles, visit thebeatles.com.

Photo: Iain Macmillan/Bloomsbury Auctions