THE BEATLES
1962 The Missing Jumbo of John Lennon
2015 SOLD for $ 2.4M including premium
The Beatles liked the Gibson ES-175 guitar of their friend Tony Sheridan. John and George desired to own guitars from this US brand. Their choice went on the Jumbo Electric J-160E that was not regularly available in England. This acoustic-electric hybrid model can be used unconnected, which is nice when you are traveling.
The two identical marvels are delivered to them on September 10, 1962 through a specialized shop in Liverpool. These instruments meet their needs and they make a regular use of them for composition and recording, at home and in the studio. Their collaboration is so close that they swap their Gibsons, certainly unknowingly.
A few days after a Christmas show in 1963, John observes that his guitar has left. He will never see it again.
For the last 45 years, a guitarist living in San Diego owned this instrument without identifying its glorious past. In 2014, he realized the likeness of his Gibson with its widely documented twin which had been kept by George. Serial numbers are very close together.
The veins in the wood allow the identification of a guitar with the same certainty as fingerprints for a human. The best expert of equipment used by the Beatles compared the instrument with period photographs. He is formal and admiring : half a century after being pinched, John Lennon's Gibson has resurfaced in its unmodified configuration, like a time capsule.
This historic guitar is estimated $ 600K for sale by Julien's in Beverly Hills on November 7, lot 278.
Its photo in an exhibit at Austin in 2015 was offered to the public domain and is available on Wikimedia:
The two identical marvels are delivered to them on September 10, 1962 through a specialized shop in Liverpool. These instruments meet their needs and they make a regular use of them for composition and recording, at home and in the studio. Their collaboration is so close that they swap their Gibsons, certainly unknowingly.
A few days after a Christmas show in 1963, John observes that his guitar has left. He will never see it again.
For the last 45 years, a guitarist living in San Diego owned this instrument without identifying its glorious past. In 2014, he realized the likeness of his Gibson with its widely documented twin which had been kept by George. Serial numbers are very close together.
The veins in the wood allow the identification of a guitar with the same certainty as fingerprints for a human. The best expert of equipment used by the Beatles compared the instrument with period photographs. He is formal and admiring : half a century after being pinched, John Lennon's Gibson has resurfaced in its unmodified configuration, like a time capsule.
This historic guitar is estimated $ 600K for sale by Julien's in Beverly Hills on November 7, lot 278.
Its photo in an exhibit at Austin in 2015 was offered to the public domain and is available on Wikimedia:
_-_Ladies_and_Gentlemen..._the_Beatles!_exhibit_at_LBJ_Presidential_Library%2C_Austin%2C_TX%2C_2015-06-12_11.37.55.jpg)
1962-1963 The Black and White Guitar of George Harrison
2014 SOLD 660 K$ including premium
Electric guitars play a key role from very early in the career of The Beatles up to becoming a symbol of the music of the new generation. After the first purchase by John Lennon of a Rickenbacker guitar in 1960, the Beatles frequently use the instruments made by this US brand.
George Harrison had been the first solo guitarist of the group. In 1963, during a private visit in the United States, he bought a 1962 Rickenbacker 425. He soon made it painted in black and white in imitation of the guitars of John, always keen to provide the Beatles with a look different from the musical groups of the past.
This guitar was the preferred instrument of George in the heyday of the Beatles. It had a great career, was once photographed with the four boys, took part in the recordings at Abbey Road Studios and was also occasionally played by John.
This prestigious guitar is estimated beyond $ 400K, for sale by Julien's Auctions in New York on May 17. It is illustrated in the release shared by Reuters.
POST SALE COMMENT
This guitar from the Beatles legend was sold for $ 660K including premium.
George Harrison had been the first solo guitarist of the group. In 1963, during a private visit in the United States, he bought a 1962 Rickenbacker 425. He soon made it painted in black and white in imitation of the guitars of John, always keen to provide the Beatles with a look different from the musical groups of the past.
This guitar was the preferred instrument of George in the heyday of the Beatles. It had a great career, was once photographed with the four boys, took part in the recordings at Abbey Road Studios and was also occasionally played by John.
This prestigious guitar is estimated beyond $ 400K, for sale by Julien's Auctions in New York on May 17. It is illustrated in the release shared by Reuters.
POST SALE COMMENT
This guitar from the Beatles legend was sold for $ 660K including premium.
1963 Ringo on Drums
2015 SOLD for $ 2.1M including premium
Three days of sales will be needed by Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills to disperse the collection of Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach, from 3 to 5 December. No less than seven drum kits used by the musician with the Beatles or in his subsequent career are offered in this auction.
The Beatles reach the top position in the hit parade in February 1963. They now require the best instruments, not only for guitars. In April, Epstein and Starr choose together a three piece drum kit of Ludwig brand in a London specialized shop.
Ringo takes possession of his new instrument on May 12. The activity of the Beatles is intense and even frantic. Between that date and February 4 of the following year, Ringo uses his Ludwig drums in 200 live performances and 180 studio recordings, covering all titles from this period of great enthusiasm preceding their trip to America.
The Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl kit was retained by Ringo and has not been seen in public for half a century. However, it was used in part in 1969 and 1970 by Paul McCartney when he recorded his first solo albums.
The prestigious drum kit of Ringo Starr is estimated $ 300K, lot 696 for sale on December 4. I invite you to watch the video shared by Julien's.
The Beatles reach the top position in the hit parade in February 1963. They now require the best instruments, not only for guitars. In April, Epstein and Starr choose together a three piece drum kit of Ludwig brand in a London specialized shop.
Ringo takes possession of his new instrument on May 12. The activity of the Beatles is intense and even frantic. Between that date and February 4 of the following year, Ringo uses his Ludwig drums in 200 live performances and 180 studio recordings, covering all titles from this period of great enthusiasm preceding their trip to America.
The Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl kit was retained by Ringo and has not been seen in public for half a century. However, it was used in part in 1969 and 1970 by Paul McCartney when he recorded his first solo albums.
The prestigious drum kit of Ringo Starr is estimated $ 300K, lot 696 for sale on December 4. I invite you to watch the video shared by Julien's.
1963 An Australian Guitar
2015 SOLD for $ 485K including premium by Julien's
2018 SOLD for £ 350K including premium
PRE 2018 SALE DISCUSSION
John Lennon and George Harrison are passionate about their guitars and their acquisitions are often coordinated in their purchase, exchange or loan. Their instruments make it possible to establish the list of the best manufacturers of electric and electro-acoustic guitars of their time.
Their first electric guitars in 1959 were Höfner Club 40. In 1960 John acquired a Rickenbacker 325. In 1962 they each buy a Gibson acoustic J-160E equipped with a pickup, a practical solution for a disconnected playing during travel. Add to this list Gretsch, Fender and Martin.
In 1963 George replaces his Gretsch Duo Jet with a Country Gentleman of the same brand. In July the new guitar requires some urgent rework and George needs an instrument for the ongoing concerts. The repair vendor, Barratts in Manchester, lends him a Maton Mastersound MS-500.
This is an excellent opportunity for George to test an Australian electric guitar. Created in 1946 by the May brothers, one of them specialist and machinist of rare Australian wood and the other a guitar enthusiast, Maton is the leader in its Australian market.
The Mastersound meets George's immediate needs : before restituting it to Barratts, he plays it on stage for five weeks. He then returns to the Country Gent.
The Australian guitar is exchanged soon afterward by Barratts with the guitarist of The Cruisers for a Fender Stratocaster. It was sold for $ 485K including premium by Julien's on May 16, 2015. It is estimated £ 300K for sale by Gardiner Houlgate on September 12 at Corsham near Bath, lot 189 here linked on The Saleroom bidding platform. Here is the link to the Guitar department of the auction house.
The Country Gent meets a tragic end in 1965. Not stuck on the roof of the Beatles van, it falls and is crushed by the road traffic. The team is looking for it. A trucker picks up the pieces and tells them "Is this banjo anything to do with you?".
John Lennon and George Harrison are passionate about their guitars and their acquisitions are often coordinated in their purchase, exchange or loan. Their instruments make it possible to establish the list of the best manufacturers of electric and electro-acoustic guitars of their time.
Their first electric guitars in 1959 were Höfner Club 40. In 1960 John acquired a Rickenbacker 325. In 1962 they each buy a Gibson acoustic J-160E equipped with a pickup, a practical solution for a disconnected playing during travel. Add to this list Gretsch, Fender and Martin.
In 1963 George replaces his Gretsch Duo Jet with a Country Gentleman of the same brand. In July the new guitar requires some urgent rework and George needs an instrument for the ongoing concerts. The repair vendor, Barratts in Manchester, lends him a Maton Mastersound MS-500.
This is an excellent opportunity for George to test an Australian electric guitar. Created in 1946 by the May brothers, one of them specialist and machinist of rare Australian wood and the other a guitar enthusiast, Maton is the leader in its Australian market.
The Mastersound meets George's immediate needs : before restituting it to Barratts, he plays it on stage for five weeks. He then returns to the Country Gent.
The Australian guitar is exchanged soon afterward by Barratts with the guitarist of The Cruisers for a Fender Stratocaster. It was sold for $ 485K including premium by Julien's on May 16, 2015. It is estimated £ 300K for sale by Gardiner Houlgate on September 12 at Corsham near Bath, lot 189 here linked on The Saleroom bidding platform. Here is the link to the Guitar department of the auction house.
The Country Gent meets a tragic end in 1965. Not stuck on the roof of the Beatles van, it falls and is crushed by the road traffic. The team is looking for it. A trucker picks up the pieces and tells them "Is this banjo anything to do with you?".
1964 Second Thoughts behind a Guitar
2015 SOLD for $ 910K including premium
When the Beatles became a worldwide phenomenon, the manufacturers of guitars were extremely sensitive to the needs of the group. In 1964, the Rickenbacker 325 that was used by John is damaged. The importer of the brand in England, Rose-Morris, rushes to offer to the star a Rickenbacker 1996.
The gift is promotional. The new Rickenbacker receives the nickname Beatle Backer and John's effigy is used in the advertisements of the brand.
In 1968, the same instrument is the subject of another gift. Epstein had died in the previous year and the boys are not trained to run their own business. Relationships are strained for personal reasons. Ringo leaves the group at a key stage of their recordings in progress.
Ringo needed two weeks of holidays for keeping quiet again, during which he composed songs. The other three are worried about a possible termination of the group and the come back of Ringo is warmly welcomed. John gives his Beatle Backer to Ringo.
Ringo Starr had kept the instrument. It is estimated $ 600K for sale by Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills on December 4, lot 778. I invite you to watch the video shared on YouTube by the auction house.
The gift is promotional. The new Rickenbacker receives the nickname Beatle Backer and John's effigy is used in the advertisements of the brand.
In 1968, the same instrument is the subject of another gift. Epstein had died in the previous year and the boys are not trained to run their own business. Relationships are strained for personal reasons. Ringo leaves the group at a key stage of their recordings in progress.
Ringo needed two weeks of holidays for keeping quiet again, during which he composed songs. The other three are worried about a possible termination of the group and the come back of Ringo is warmly welcomed. John gives his Beatle Backer to Ringo.
Ringo Starr had kept the instrument. It is estimated $ 600K for sale by Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills on December 4, lot 778. I invite you to watch the video shared on YouTube by the auction house.
1967 A Day in John Lennon's Life
2010 SOLD 1.2 M$ including premium
Riddle: Who is the poet whose double side autograph may reach or exceed $ 500K, oh boy?
John Lennon, of course.
In 1967, the fame of the Beatles is already huge but still contested. John Lennon wrote in bulk on a sheet the lines of "A Day In The Life" and brought many reworks. Happy with his work, he copied his poem in a more structured manner on the back of the same sheet. This original piece, so typical of the spontaneous creation of John, is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on June 18. The image of the draft is clearly legible as shared in an article in The New York Times.
The words are simple but the thought is dark enough to generate dream and interpretation. After an addition by Paul McCartney, the final version of the song will be banned by the BBC which saw therein a hidden apology on LSD, the serious bone of contention between the generations at that time. Such a case of censorship is extremely rare in England.
Anything that directly affects the creation of a Beatles song has the value of a relic, as I explained in one of my first articles. On July 10, 2008, Christie's had sold 420 K £ including premium a manuscript of Give Peace a Chance, which was not even autograph. John had problems to read his own poem and made it being copied by a girl.
POST SALE COMMENT
This autograph, sold $ 1.2 million including premium, has got a much better price than the sheet that I had taken as a reference, and thus has greatly exceeded its estimate. Good.
John Lennon, of course.
In 1967, the fame of the Beatles is already huge but still contested. John Lennon wrote in bulk on a sheet the lines of "A Day In The Life" and brought many reworks. Happy with his work, he copied his poem in a more structured manner on the back of the same sheet. This original piece, so typical of the spontaneous creation of John, is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on June 18. The image of the draft is clearly legible as shared in an article in The New York Times.
The words are simple but the thought is dark enough to generate dream and interpretation. After an addition by Paul McCartney, the final version of the song will be banned by the BBC which saw therein a hidden apology on LSD, the serious bone of contention between the generations at that time. Such a case of censorship is extremely rare in England.
Anything that directly affects the creation of a Beatles song has the value of a relic, as I explained in one of my first articles. On July 10, 2008, Christie's had sold 420 K £ including premium a manuscript of Give Peace a Chance, which was not even autograph. John had problems to read his own poem and made it being copied by a girl.
POST SALE COMMENT
This autograph, sold $ 1.2 million including premium, has got a much better price than the sheet that I had taken as a reference, and thus has greatly exceeded its estimate. Good.
1968 Recording Notes for Hey Jude
2020 SOLD for $ 910K including premium by Julien's
narrated in 2021
Returning to the matrimonial home, Cynthia Lennon finds Yoko Ono in a bathrobe, having tea with John. She says : "Oh hi". Adultery is obvious and separation is inevitable.
Paul McCartney was close to Cynthia and Julian. He hums Hey Jules with the idea of comforting the five-year-old boy. He visits Cynthia in June 1968 with this song project. It will be Hey Jude, for a reason of sound. John lets it go. It will be the Beatles' biggest 1968 hit. It was bringing tears to Cynthia's eyes, and Julian was very grateful to Paul for it.
The autograph manuscript was listed for auction by Christie's for April 30, 2002. Paul successfully opposed it in court by disputing the ownership.
There are two almost identical copies of a 33 x 20 cm lyric instruction sheet. Both are unsigned autographs by Paul. The poem is limited to a few lines of the four verses, interspersed with the instructions Break, Middle, and Ending or Ending-Fading.
One of these recording notes was sold by Christie's for £ 62K including premium on June 20, 2014, lot 93. The other, which was used in the studio and comes with a sheet music for the same song, was sold by Julien's on April 10, 2020 for $ 910K including premium from a lower estimate of $ 160K, lot 205.
Paul McCartney was close to Cynthia and Julian. He hums Hey Jules with the idea of comforting the five-year-old boy. He visits Cynthia in June 1968 with this song project. It will be Hey Jude, for a reason of sound. John lets it go. It will be the Beatles' biggest 1968 hit. It was bringing tears to Cynthia's eyes, and Julian was very grateful to Paul for it.
The autograph manuscript was listed for auction by Christie's for April 30, 2002. Paul successfully opposed it in court by disputing the ownership.
There are two almost identical copies of a 33 x 20 cm lyric instruction sheet. Both are unsigned autographs by Paul. The poem is limited to a few lines of the four verses, interspersed with the instructions Break, Middle, and Ending or Ending-Fading.
One of these recording notes was sold by Christie's for £ 62K including premium on June 20, 2014, lot 93. The other, which was used in the studio and comes with a sheet music for the same song, was sold by Julien's on April 10, 2020 for $ 910K including premium from a lower estimate of $ 160K, lot 205.
1969 Relic from a Happening of John and Yoko
2008 SOLD 420 K£ including premium
This piece of paper may seem ridiculous, but nothing stops the fans of the Beatles. Just married, John Lennon and Yoko Ono organized a happening in Amsterdam, where they received their visitors in their room in night clothing for a continuous week. The success was such that they repeated it two months later with the same scenario on the other side of the Atlantic, in Montreal at the end of May 1969.
Of course, these events were also a pretext to create a fetish song, which was in Montreal "Give Peace a Chance". In eleven irregular lines, John scribbles in the text, very short, but where he still manages to pay tribute to Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg and twice proclaim Hare Krishna. The Woodstock Festival was to be held in August the same year, the tone is set (with virtually no pun).
His work being unreadable, John had it copied by a young girl who had managed to be accepted inside the room. She recovered the autograph that day or later, whatever.
Still being quite wise, nearly 40 years later, the depositary of this relic went to Christie's. The auctioneer considered it to 200 K£, for sale under number 250 on July 10 in London.
Christie's does not take its customers by surprise for such important pieces: the press release was published more than two months ago. Christie's is right: some feast lovers of 1969 have become rich.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold 420 K £ including fees. Therefore this type of object has buyers, as anybody knew.
Of course, these events were also a pretext to create a fetish song, which was in Montreal "Give Peace a Chance". In eleven irregular lines, John scribbles in the text, very short, but where he still manages to pay tribute to Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg and twice proclaim Hare Krishna. The Woodstock Festival was to be held in August the same year, the tone is set (with virtually no pun).
His work being unreadable, John had it copied by a young girl who had managed to be accepted inside the room. She recovered the autograph that day or later, whatever.
Still being quite wise, nearly 40 years later, the depositary of this relic went to Christie's. The auctioneer considered it to 200 K£, for sale under number 250 on July 10 in London.
Christie's does not take its customers by surprise for such important pieces: the press release was published more than two months ago. Christie's is right: some feast lovers of 1969 have become rich.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold 420 K £ including fees. Therefore this type of object has buyers, as anybody knew.
1980 The Night the Music Died
2020 SOLD for $ 920K including premium
For young people, the Beatles songs express the hope for a better life, with more peace and brotherhood. Mark David Chapman, whose life is miserable, is disillusioned by the media information about the gentrification of John Lennon, which he says would be an unforgivable treason. He travels to New York to assassinate Lennon.
The crime takes place on December 8, 1980 at 10:50 p.m. when Lennon returns with Yoko Ono to the Dakota Building where they reside. Chapman, who had been waiting for them in the shade of the porch, fires five bullets in Lennon's back. The murderer is disarmed by the doorman but ostensibly holds a copy of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, which tells the inexorable drift of a marginalized teenager.
Later that night, an album autographed by Lennon is found in one of the flower planters in the porch and brought to the police. He bears Chapman's fingerprints, as if he wanted to provide proof of his premeditation. Five hours earlier at the same location, a fan had photographed Lennon signing this album for his future killer.
The album is returned after Chapman's trial to its discoverer who hides it under his bed for 18 years before selling it through the specialist broker Moments in Time Inc. It will be sold by Goldin as lot 9 in an online sale closing on December 12.
Chapman is still in prison forty years after his crime. Suffering from the Erostratus complex, he had not wanted to plead insanity.
The crime takes place on December 8, 1980 at 10:50 p.m. when Lennon returns with Yoko Ono to the Dakota Building where they reside. Chapman, who had been waiting for them in the shade of the porch, fires five bullets in Lennon's back. The murderer is disarmed by the doorman but ostensibly holds a copy of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, which tells the inexorable drift of a marginalized teenager.
Later that night, an album autographed by Lennon is found in one of the flower planters in the porch and brought to the police. He bears Chapman's fingerprints, as if he wanted to provide proof of his premeditation. Five hours earlier at the same location, a fan had photographed Lennon signing this album for his future killer.
The album is returned after Chapman's trial to its discoverer who hides it under his bed for 18 years before selling it through the specialist broker Moments in Time Inc. It will be sold by Goldin as lot 9 in an online sale closing on December 12.
Chapman is still in prison forty years after his crime. Suffering from the Erostratus complex, he had not wanted to plead insanity.
1990 Pop Photo by Avedon
2010 SOLD 445 K€ including premium
Half a century later, the 1960s appear as one of the most creative periods. With Pop Art, the themes are close to everyday life: the consumer society, of course, but also the comic book, the stars...
In terms of show business, it was the time of pop music and rock and roll. When the top photographic artists are still reluctant between black and white and color, the stars do not hesitate: they want color, and as much psychedelic as possible.
A great photographer followed the trend: on August 11, 1967 in London, Richard Avedon meets the Beatles and shoots a portrait of each of the four boys.
The portfolio issued after this session is an amazing photographic work as the digital images did not exist at that time. The images range from realism (for Ringo) to a figure close to abstraction (for John). The attributes assess the proximity between the photographer and his models: flowers for Paul, a white dove for Ringo, the eye of wisdom in the palm of the hand of George.
A copy of this portfolio, dye transfer prints made in 1990, 55 x 44 cm, was sold for $ 464K including premium on October 10, 2005 by Christie's.
The copy of the Richard Avedon Foundation is for sale on November 20 in Paris, also at Christie's. It is estimated € 250K. The catalog is not yet published. I will indicate the date of the prints and their size when I discuss the results.
POST SALE COMMENT
Here is the information that I promised: the dimensions of each photo is 55 x 44 cm, and the dye transfer print was made in 1990, same as the copy that I quoted in the article.
And now the result: € 445K including premium.
In terms of show business, it was the time of pop music and rock and roll. When the top photographic artists are still reluctant between black and white and color, the stars do not hesitate: they want color, and as much psychedelic as possible.
A great photographer followed the trend: on August 11, 1967 in London, Richard Avedon meets the Beatles and shoots a portrait of each of the four boys.
The portfolio issued after this session is an amazing photographic work as the digital images did not exist at that time. The images range from realism (for Ringo) to a figure close to abstraction (for John). The attributes assess the proximity between the photographer and his models: flowers for Paul, a white dove for Ringo, the eye of wisdom in the palm of the hand of George.
A copy of this portfolio, dye transfer prints made in 1990, 55 x 44 cm, was sold for $ 464K including premium on October 10, 2005 by Christie's.
The copy of the Richard Avedon Foundation is for sale on November 20 in Paris, also at Christie's. It is estimated € 250K. The catalog is not yet published. I will indicate the date of the prints and their size when I discuss the results.
POST SALE COMMENT
Here is the information that I promised: the dimensions of each photo is 55 x 44 cm, and the dye transfer print was made in 1990, same as the copy that I quoted in the article.
And now the result: € 445K including premium.
