John Lennon's lost guitar sells for millions

John Lennon's guitar, a 12-string Hootenanny, recently went under the auction hammer. The musical gem, which led a mysterious existence for years in a dusty attic somewhere in the British countryside, was rediscovered and revived the rock 'n' roll spirit. For a nice rock 'n' roll price...

The guitar was considered lost for a long time until it was found in an attic somewhere in the British countryside. The auction, organized by Julien's Auctions, took place at the Hard Rock Café in New York. Ultimately, the guitar was sold for a record amount of $2,9 million (€2,7 million).

"Help!" 

The guitar was used during the recording of famous Beatles songs such as “You've Got to Hide Your Love Away”, “Help!”, “It's Only Love”, “I've Just Seen a Face”, “Girl”, and “Norwegian Wood”. The instrument ended up with Gordon Waller of the duo Peter and Gordon, who passed it on to one of their managers. More than fifty years later, the manager's heirs discovered the guitar in the attic. The auction house had the guitar thoroughly restored, so it can at least be played for the €2.7 million.

The iconic piece of musical heritage was originally estimated to be worth between $600.000 and $800.000, but exceeded all expectations. The previous record for a Beatles instrument was Lennon's Gibson J-160E, which changed hands for $2015 million (€2.4 million) in 2.2.

According to David Goodman, CEO of the auction house, the sale of this guitar is not only a piece of music history, but also a symbol of Lennon's lasting legacy. “This guitar is a tangible link to Lennon's creative energy that touched millions of people,” said Goodman.