Beatles Memorabilia Goes under Hammer at Online Auction

A pair of John Lennon’s unmistakable glasses is up for auction with other Beatles memorabilia. (Reuters)
A pair of John Lennon’s unmistakable glasses is up for auction with other Beatles memorabilia. (Reuters)
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Beatles Memorabilia Goes under Hammer at Online Auction

A pair of John Lennon’s unmistakable glasses is up for auction with other Beatles memorabilia. (Reuters)
A pair of John Lennon’s unmistakable glasses is up for auction with other Beatles memorabilia. (Reuters)

Fancy owning a piece of pop history? Sotheby’s is hosting an online auction this month of Beatles memorabilia to mark the 50th anniversary of the British band breaking up.

The sale offers items spanning the band’s entire performing career, including a signed copy of the Fab Four’s first single from 1962, “Love Me Do”, valued at between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds ($19,000-$25,400).

Other items on sale include a pair of John Lennon’s unmistakable glasses, valued at 30,000 to 40,000 pounds, and his school detention sheet, estimated to be worth as much as 5,000 pounds, which details a record of his misbehavior as a boy.

A 1966 Cartier watch, estimated at up to 25,000 pounds, is also up for grabs. It belonged to band manager Brian Epstein, whose death in 1967 is considered a key factor in the eventual separation of the four lads from Liverpool.



George Harrison's Early Beatles Guitar Could Fetch $800,000 at Auction

George Harrison (R) jokes with Rolling Stones' Ron Wood during a tribute to Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden in New York in this October 16, 1992 REUTERS/Jeff Christensen JC/MMR/AA/File Photo
George Harrison (R) jokes with Rolling Stones' Ron Wood during a tribute to Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden in New York in this October 16, 1992 REUTERS/Jeff Christensen JC/MMR/AA/File Photo
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George Harrison's Early Beatles Guitar Could Fetch $800,000 at Auction

George Harrison (R) jokes with Rolling Stones' Ron Wood during a tribute to Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden in New York in this October 16, 1992 REUTERS/Jeff Christensen JC/MMR/AA/File Photo
George Harrison (R) jokes with Rolling Stones' Ron Wood during a tribute to Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden in New York in this October 16, 1992 REUTERS/Jeff Christensen JC/MMR/AA/File Photo

An electric guitar played by the late guitarist George Harrison in the early days of the Beatles will go up for sale at an auction next month where it could be sold for more than $800,000.
Bought from a music store in the band's birth city of Liverpool, Harrison played the Futurama guitar in the early 1960s when the band performed at the Cavern Club, toured Germany and made their first official records for Polydor.
The auctioneers say the Futurama guitar, with its sunburst finish, was one of his most played. They call it "one of the holy grails of historic Beatles guitars" and said it is expected to exceed its estimate price tag of $600,000-$800,000.
Harrison said the guitar was "very difficult" to play but he liked what he called its "futuristic" look.
"It had a great sound," he later told a journalist.
In 1964, he donated the instrument to a rock magazine as a competition prize, but it remained with the publication's editor when the winner opted for a cash prize instead of owning a piece of rock and roll history.
The guitar will be on display at The Beatles Story in Liverpool for the next fortnight before being shown at other museums across Europe. It is due to be auctioned from Nov. 20-22 in the United States.