A long-lost guitar that belonged to John Lennon sold for over $2.85 million Wednesday at an auction at Times Square's Hard Rock Cafe.
The sale of the 1964 Framus "Help!" Hootenanny acoustic guitar, which George Harrison also used during the recording sessions for the Beatles' 1965 album Rubber Soul, makes it the highest-selling guitar at auction in Beatles history, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Further, it's the fifth most expensive guitar ever sold. It was bought through a telephone bid as part of a two-day music icons sale by Julien's Auctions.
The guitar was last seen in 1965, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Lennon initially gifted it to Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon, for whom he and Paul McCartney had composed several songs.
Waller then gave the guitar to his manager, who stored it in his attic. It was discovered over 50 years later by the new owners of the house in the British countryside, who expected the guitar to sell for about $500,000.
"We are absolutely thrilled and honored to have set a new world record with the sale of John Lennon's lost hootenanny guitar," David Goodman, the CEO of the auction company, said. "This guitar is not only a piece of music history, but a symbol of John Lennon's enduring legacy.
"Today's unprecedented sale is a testament to the timeless appeal and reverence of the Beatles' music and John Lennon."
This is not the first guitar that belonged to a Beatles member that went missing.
In February, a 1961 Höfner bass guitar, purchased by Paul McCartney, was finally returned to the singer-songwriter following an extensive global effort to recover the stolen instrument.
The bass guitar, featured prominently in recordings of iconic Beatles hits like "Love Me Do" and "Twist and Shout," was stolen in 1972, The Washington Post reported.
As part of a dedicated project established to solve the mystery, Beatles fans rallied to assist in locating the guitar and reuniting it with its renowned owner.
"Following the launch of last year's Lost Bass project, Paul's 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned," a statement cited by the Post said. McCartney, it added, "is incredibly grateful to all those involved."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.