10 expensive items of Beatles memorabilia sold at auction
Beatlemania lives on at the auction house
The Fab Four may have disbanded more than 40 years ago, but if auction sales are any indication, The Beatles are more popular than ever. This week, a signed copy of The Beatles' 1967 record Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sold for $290,500 at a Texas auction. Despite the jaw-dropping price, the album is hardly the first piece of Beatles history to throw bidders into a frenzy. Here, a look at the outrageous prices others have paid to own objects associated with John, Paul, George, and Ringo:
$2.23 million
Amount a Canadian businessman forked over in 1985 for John Lennon's psychedelically painted 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
$2.1 million
Amount George Michael paid in 2009 for the Steinway Model Z piano Lennon wrote "Imagine" on
$1.07 million
Amount the painted drum skin featured on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sold for in 2008
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
$1 million
Amount Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "All You Need is Love" fetched at auction in 2009
$567,000
Amount one deep-pocketed music fan paid in 2004 for George Harrison's Gibson SG guitar, which was used during a Revolver recording session
$154,000
Amount an anonymous telephone bidder paid in 2011 for a hand-drawn "Bed Peace" poster from John and Yoko's infamous "Bed-In"
$123,000
Amount a buyer paid for watercolors painted by an 11-year-old Lennon in 2009
$97,000
Amount a pair of Lennon's signature round glasses sold for in 2009
$31,200
Amount one devoted fan (and dentist) shelled out for John Lennon's decaying molar in 2011
Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
-
The never-ending wonder of Pompeii
In The Spotlight A luxury bathhouse is the latest treasure to be uncovered at the 'gift that keeps on giving'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
How to avoid Blue Monday's financial woes
The Explainer The most depressing day of the year can actually be a catalyst for good money decisions
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Prop 6, inmate firefighters and the state of prison labor
The Explainer The long-standing controversial practice raises questions about exploitation
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published