Rediscovered in the attic of a British home, a long-lost 12-string acoustic guitar once owned by John Lennon is set to be auctioned in May. Experts estimate the guitar, which Lennon played on the 1965 album “Help!”, could fetch between $600,000 and $800,000. The current owners stumbled upon the instrument during a house move and contacted Julien’s Auctions, who verified its authenticity and found the original Maton guitar case in the trash.
According to Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, the guitar was gifted to British musician Gordon Waller, a member of the 1960s pop duo Peter and Gordon, by Lennon. Waller then passed the guitar to his road manager, where it remained for many years until its rediscovery.
The auction will take place on May 29 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York and on Julien’s Auctions’ website. Musical instruments belonging to prominent Beatles members have garnered high prices at previous auctions, including a stolen Hofner bass guitar belonging to Paul McCartney, which was found and returned after 51 years and a guitar stolen from Lennon in the 1960s, which sold for $2.41 million in 2015.
