Thursday , March 28 2024

Major Lennon Memorabilia Sale Nets $1.75 Million

Cooper Owen, specialists in “Rock Legends” memorabilia auctions, yesterday sold $1.75 million worth of John Lennon items during a sale at London’s Hippodrome nightclub.

The Big Tuna of the sale — called by Cooper Owen director Ted Owen “the Holy Grail of Beatles lyrics” — was Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for “All You Need is Love,” rescued from the floor beneath his music stand after The Beatles’ final television appearance in 1967, which sold for $1 million. A young woman working for the BBC at the time retrieved the manuscript and she provided a letter of authenticity for Thursday’s sale.

Owen said, “It’s probably one of the few remaining Beatles lyrics in private collectors’ hands and one of the most important musical manuscripts in existence. It was the anthem of the peace movement … the anthem of 1967.”

The John Lennon Collection took over 25 years to assemble by one anonymous collector and spanned key moments in the icon’s life from his art school days in Liverpool, through his entire Beatles’ career, to the recording of his final solo album. The collection was displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for five years, at the Beatles Story Museum for one year, and is noteworthy for the items’ “rarity, importance, and cultural significance.” Cooper Owen called it “the most definitive collection of John Lennon memorabilia ever assembled.”

The World War One military bandsman tunic, worn by Lennon for a 1966 Life magazine photo shoot and a presage of the Sgt Pepper’s look, sold for $175,000. A piano from Lennon’s New York apartment drew $245,000, and watercolors painted by an 11 year-old Lennon were bought for $123,000. A pair of round “Lennon glasses,” complete with box addressed to “Mr. John Lennon,” went for $97,000.

As a fan of popular culture, I can understand the value of relics actually involved with the creation of pop history, but I am befuddled by the value some people put on items simply touched, or even just associated with pop culture figures, as if the relic is infused with the artist’s mojo by osmosis. This one seems like a pretty legitimate, iconic sale however.

Michael J. West has interesting thoughts on Lennon’s “hero” status here.

About Eric Olsen

Career media professional and serial entrepreneur Eric Olsen flung himself into the paranormal world in 2012, creating the America's Most Haunted brand and co-authoring the award-winning America's Most Haunted book, published by Berkley/Penguin in Sept, 2014. Olsen is co-host of the nationally syndicated broadcast and Internet radio talk show After Hours AM; his entertaining and informative America's Most Haunted website and social media outlets are must-reads: Twitter@amhaunted, Facebook.com/amhaunted, Pinterest America's Most Haunted. Olsen is also guitarist/singer for popular and wildly eclectic Cleveland cover band The Props.

Check Also

The PAX East 2024 Experience

PAX East is a terrific and inclusive home for gamers. With so much to see and do, this roundup gives an idea of what the experience is like.