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Colts owner picks up Ringo Starr's drum set at auction

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Jim Irsay is reuniting the Beatles piece by piece.

The Indianapolis Colts owner made his latest pricey purchase Friday, picking up Ringo Starr's first Ludwig drum set at auction for $1.75 million.

''Finally, after 45 years, the Beatles are together again,'' Irsay said in a text message to The Associated Press.

Irsay owns prominent guitars from the group's other three members - Paul McCartney, the late George Harrison and the late John Lennon. Earlier this year, Irsay also purchased a drumhead that will fit the set he just bought.

Irsay is a huge music fan and an avid collector. He owns roughly 30 famous guitars, including instruments used by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia and Eric Clapton.

In 2001, Irsay paid $2.43 million for the original manuscript of Jack Kerouac's ''On the Road.'' Known as ''the scroll,'' it's a continuous, 120-foot scroll tracing paper sheets that the author cut to size and taped together.