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Ron Nasty said
Hi @Starlessraven and welcome to the forum.

Myself I’d recommend the Casbah over the Cavern every time. Great as the Cavern is, it’s a rebuild on a different site to the original (the original was roughly where the Cavern Pub now is), whereas the Casbah is exactly the same as it was when the Beatles played there, even down to their painting of the room still being there, John’s graffiti carved into the wall, and the dent in the ceiling from John’s guitar hitting it. After it shut it just went back to being a basement where the Best family stored their junk, so when they realised it was a possible earner, they just had to clear the junk out, all the original club features were there as they were the day it closed. I don’t know if he still does, but Roag (son of Neil Aspinall and Mona Best) often used to the guided tours, and he’s quite the character.

On the question of your autographs, I’m guessing you want to know if your fantastic set are the earliest known, I’m afraid I know of several 1961 examples, including at least two signed Cavern Club 1961 members cards, a Cavern lunchtime ticket, and another from Huyton Hall if I recall correctly. Yours are a good set of early set of early autographs, but there are definitely sets that date to 1961, and more appear as those early fans pass away and their relatives go through their belongings and find a signed something they never knew existed.

  

Hi Ron Nasty,

Thank you for this fascinating insight. I thought The Cavern was pretty much in its original location, it having been filled in was then merely excavated again? How far away from the current site would the original have been?

    Your information about the early autographs is just what I’ve been searching for, I’m most grateful. Any images out there!?

Ron Nasty said
While the new Cavern occupies much of the original space, @Starlessraven, taking in around 70% of the original, many things are in different places, such as the entrance (the original place for the entrance is now the fire escape), as well as being a larger club. The stage in the main club is a floor above the original, while the stage on the lower level used for proper gigs, the one that Paul has played on, is around twenty feet off where the original stage was.

And, by the way, you are a lucky sod for having such early autographs. Framed and hanging on the wall, never to be parted from? They would be if I owned them. Gold dust that I’d never part from. Like I say, lucky sod!

  

Thank you Mr. N. for illuminating The Cavern for me, much appreciated. It had a resonance that felt authentic when I visited, reassuring to hear that I was indeed (somewhat) in the zone. I still find it difficult to believe that the place was actually trashed at all. Who made that crazy decision?

Ha! I do feel lucky! The autographs are indeed my blanket of joy, and will not be parted with. They too resonate with an authenticity,  which is why I bought them. There’s a minefield of fake and ‘semi-fake’ autographs out there. These glow with age. Glad you like them, promise I’ll look after them.

Not too sure my wife shares my enthusiasm however. As long as I can keep hiding the bank statements she’ll just think it’s a late mid-life crisis of sorts. Mum’s the word!