Sunday, November 08, 2015

John Lennon's guitar sells for $2.4 million at auction

John Lennon's guitar sells for $2.4 million at auction:

  • John Lennon is thought to have recorded and written a number of hit songs, including Love Me Do and I Want to Hold Your Hand on the guitar
  • The Gibson J-160E guitar was sold on Saturday to an undisclosed buyer at an auction in Beverly Hills
  • The instrument was one of only two of its type flown from America to England in 1962 for Lennon and George Harrison
  • John McCaw of San Diego bought the guitar in the late 1960s for $275, and only realized it belonged to Lennon recently
By

Belinda Robinson For Dailymail.com


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Published:
09:55 GMT, 8 November 2015

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Updated:
16:21 GMT, 8 November 2015



An acoustic guitar that John Lennon used to record and write some of The Beatles most famous hit songs has sold at auction in California for $2.4 million (£1.5 million).

Lennon is thought to have recorded and written a number of songs, including Love Me Do and I Want to Hold Your Hand, on the instrument.

The Gibson J-160E guitar was sold on Saturday in Beverly Hills to an undisclosed buyer Julien's Auctions said.

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The acoustic guitar that John Lennon used to record and write some of The Beatles most famous songs has sold at auction in California for $2.4 million (£1.5 million)
The acoustic guitar that John Lennon used to record and write some of The Beatles most famous songs has sold at auction in California for $2.4 million (£1.5 million)
Lennon (pictured) is thought to have recorded and written a number of hit songs, including Love Me Do and I Want to Hold Your Hand, on the Gibson J-160E
Lennon (pictured) is thought to have recorded and written a number of hit songs, including Love Me Do and I Want to Hold Your Hand, on the Gibson J-160E
The Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar once owned by John Lennon.
The beautiful and iconic acoustic Gibson J-160E guitar was one of only two of its type flown from America to England in 1962 for Lennon and George Harrison
The beautiful and iconic acoustic Gibson J-160E guitar was one of only two of its type flown from America to England in 1962 for Lennon and George Harrison
Lennon bought the guitar in Liverpool in September 1962 for £161 ($242).

The auction house said the guitar was one of only two of its type flown from America to England in 1962 for Lennon and George Harrison.

'John so loved this particular guitar that he would take it home and wrote songs on it with Paul McCartney,' the auction house added.

Lennon used the guitar for about a year before swapping it with Harrison; it later went missing during the Beatles' Finsbury Park Christmas Show in London in 1963.

For more than 50 years the guitar's whereabouts remained unknown until a man in California discovered that a guitar in his possession may have historical value.

John McCaw of San Diego, who bought the guitar in the late 1960s for $275, stumbled on an old magazine story about Harrison, which featured a photo of the instrument which bore similar markings as his guitar.

Lennon, pictured here in 1963 with the guitar, kept it for about a year before swapping it with Harrison; it later went missing during a Christmas concert in 1963
Lennon, pictured here in 1963 with the guitar, kept it for about a year before swapping it with Harrison; it later went missing during a Christmas concert in 1963
The 1962 J-160E Gibson Acoustic Guitar was sold by Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California,
John McCaw of San Diego, bought the guitar in the late 1960s for just $275 and was unaware of its owner
John McCaw of San Diego, bought the guitar in the late 1960s for just $275 but was unaware of its owner
THIS IMAGE IS SUPPLIED FOR GUIDANCE ONLY, UNKNOWN COPYRIGHT. COPY BY TOM BEDFORD MEDIA Pictured: An archive photo circa 1963 showing John Lennon (R) playing his Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar on stage with George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. Re: An acoustic guitar, once owned by The Beatle's John Lennon, was sold at auction for a record $2.4 (£1.6), more than double its estimate. The 1962 J-160E Gibson Acoustic Guitar was sold by Ju;lien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California, USA.
THIS IMAGE IS SUPPLIED FOR GUIDANCE ONLY, UNKNOWN COPYRIGHT. COPY BY TOM BEDFORD MEDIA Pictured: An archive photo circa 1963 showing John Lennon (R) playing his Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar on stage with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Re: An acoustic guitar, once owned by The Beatle's John Lennon, was sold at auction for a record $2.4 (£1.6), more than double its estimate. The 1962 J-160E Gibson Acoustic Guitar was sold by Ju;lien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California, USA.
McCaw stumbled on an old magazine story about Harrison, which featured a photo of the instrument which bore similar markings as his guitar (The Beatles are pictured here in 1963)
An expert was able to match the guitar's serial number, wood grain and markings to the one Lennon used in the early 1960s, (Lennon is pictured here in 1963 using the guitar)
An expert was able to match the guitar's serial number, wood grain and markings to the one Lennon used in the early 1960s, (Lennon is pictured here in 1963 using the guitar)
Lennon, left, holds the famous instrument in 1963, as he plays alongside band mate Paul McCartney, right,
Lennon, left, holds the famous instrument in 1963, as he plays alongside band mate Paul McCartney, right,
An expert was able to match the guitar's serial number, wood grain and markings to the one Lennon used in the early 1960s, Julien's Auction said.

The acoustic guitar was sold at auction for more than double its estimate, and shattered all records for rock memorabilia.

Meanwhile, the drum head that the Beatles used in their landmark performance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' was also auctioned on Saturday for $2.1 million.

It was billed as the most famous of the seven known Beatles drop-T logo drum heads and the only one to be featured on a Beatles album jacket.

Lennon, right, is pictured on stage with his acoustic guitar as he plays with band mates Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1963
Lennon, right, is pictured on stage with his acoustic guitar as he plays with band mates Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1963
The J-160E Gibson Acoustic Guitar was in pristine condition and was sold by Julien's Auctions 
The J-160E Gibson Acoustic Guitar was in pristine condition and was sold by Julien's Auctions 
The acoustic guitar fetched a record $2.4 million (£1.6 million), more than double its estimate
The acoustic guitar fetched a record $2.4 million (£1.6 million), more than double its estimate
The Beatles, (front) Ringo Starr and John Lennon, and (back) Paul McCartney and George Harrison are seen here at a press conference at the Hotel Warwick following their arrival to the U.S. from the UK in 1965
The Beatles, (front) Ringo Starr and John Lennon, and (back) Paul McCartney and George Harrison are seen here at a press conference at the Hotel Warwick following their arrival to the U.S. from the UK in 1965
The drum head that the Beatles used in their landmark performance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' was also auctioned on Saturday for $2.1 million - The Beatles are pictured here at the Plaza Hotel in February 1964. (Clockwise from far left) George Harrison, Ringo Starr (at drums), Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon.They were in New York to perform for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show.
The drum head that the Beatles used in their landmark performance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' was also auctioned on Saturday for $2.1 million - The Beatles are pictured here at the Plaza Hotel in February 1964. (Clockwise from far left) George Harrison, Ringo Starr (at drums), Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon.They were in New York to perform for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Posted by Nelio Inacio at 8:28 AM

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