At the Dawn of The Beatles: John Lennon's Guitar Sold at Auction for $2.85 Million

An acoustic guitar belonging to the renowned British musician and The Beatles frontman, John Lennon, was sold at an auction in the United States at New York's Hard Rock Cafe for over $2.85 million. The instrument, known as the Framus Hootenanny, became the fifth most expensive guitar ever sold, as reported by Julien's Auctions.

"The guitar witnessed the birth of some of Lennon's most beloved songs. It was a faithful companion to The Beatles at the start of their career, played in smoky pubs and cramped recording studios. It played a key role in shaping the sound that defined a generation," described representatives of the auction house.

John Lennon purchased this guitar in 1964. Both Lennon and George Harrison used it during the recording of The Beatles' albums "Help!" (1965) and "Rubber Soul" (1965). It can not only be heard in The Beatles' music but also seen in photos from the "Beatles Monthly Magazine" and in the film "Help!" where The Beatles perform "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away."

At the end of 1965, Lennon gave the guitar to Gordon Waller of the duo Peter & Gordon, for whom Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote songs. Waller later passed the guitar to his manager, who took it home, stored it in an attic, and forgot about it for decades.

"We worked closely with musician, author, and Beatles Gear expert Andy Babiuk to confirm that this Hootenanny, serial number 51083, is indeed John Lennon's guitar," noted the auction house.

The Gaze also reported that a gold pocket watch belonging to the wealthiest passenger on the Titanic, businessman John Jacob Astor, was sold to a private collector from the US at Henry Aldridge & Son auction in the UK for 1.4 million euros. During the disaster, Astor helped his wife to safety by placing her in a lifeboat, but he himself perished.