All you need is $1m
By Valentine Low, Evening Standard
Money can't buy you love. But £600,000 ($1.04 million) can buy you the words to the Beatles' All You Need Is Love.
That is how much an unnamed bidder paid for a handwritten note by John Lennon of the lyrics to the song at an auction of rock memorabilia in London.
The lyric sheet was used by Lennon during the Beatles' last live television performance in 1967. On film footage it could be seen dropping from Lennon's music stand to the floor after the song was performed, said a spokesman for auctioneers Cooper Owen.
A girl working for the BBC at the time retrieved the manuscript from beneath Lennon's music stand. She provided a letter of authenticity for last night's sale.
Cooper Owen director Ted Owen described the manuscript as "the Holy Grail of Beatles lyrics".
He said: "It's probably one of the few remaining Beatles lyrics in private collectors' hands and one of the most important musical manuscripts in existence. It was the anthem of the peace movement."
Pete Nash, a memorabilia expert with the Beatles Fan Club, said the mystery buyer was probably one of "about 20 heavy-duty collectors in the world who seem to have unlimited funds".
Even at £600,000 they were worth every penny, he said. "They're part of our history now.
In the British Library, opposite the Magna Carta, are three sets of Beatles lyrics next to Beethoven and Bach."
The auction at the Hippodrome off Leicester Square also saw the tunic which inspired the cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band go for £100,000 - more than three times its estimated value.
The jacket, worn by Lennon in a Life magazine photo shoot in 1966, had been predicted to sell for £30,000. It was thrown out by Lennon and wife Yoko Ono when they cleared out their New York apartment in 1977 and was given to a Salvation Army charity shop, where it was snapped up by a charity volunteer for £10. He sold it at auction in 1983 for £100.
Among the other lots, part of a collection of 12 items of Lennon memorabilia amassed over 25 years by an anonymous American, was a pair of Lennon's trademark round wire spectacles which came in a box addressed to "Mr John Lennon". They sold for £55,000.
A piano from Lennon's New York apartment fetched £140,000 and watercolours painted by the musician aged 11 were bought for £70,000 - twice their estimated price.
Cooper Owen managing director John Collins said: "Every item speaks for itself in terms of rarity, importance, and cultural significance. We're honoured to be passing them on."
Find this story at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/articles/19949711?version=2
©2005 Associated New Media
By Valentine Low, Evening Standard
Money can't buy you love. But £600,000 ($1.04 million) can buy you the words to the Beatles' All You Need Is Love.
That is how much an unnamed bidder paid for a handwritten note by John Lennon of the lyrics to the song at an auction of rock memorabilia in London.
The lyric sheet was used by Lennon during the Beatles' last live television performance in 1967. On film footage it could be seen dropping from Lennon's music stand to the floor after the song was performed, said a spokesman for auctioneers Cooper Owen.
A girl working for the BBC at the time retrieved the manuscript from beneath Lennon's music stand. She provided a letter of authenticity for last night's sale.
Cooper Owen director Ted Owen described the manuscript as "the Holy Grail of Beatles lyrics".
He said: "It's probably one of the few remaining Beatles lyrics in private collectors' hands and one of the most important musical manuscripts in existence. It was the anthem of the peace movement."
Pete Nash, a memorabilia expert with the Beatles Fan Club, said the mystery buyer was probably one of "about 20 heavy-duty collectors in the world who seem to have unlimited funds".
Even at £600,000 they were worth every penny, he said. "They're part of our history now.
In the British Library, opposite the Magna Carta, are three sets of Beatles lyrics next to Beethoven and Bach."
The auction at the Hippodrome off Leicester Square also saw the tunic which inspired the cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band go for £100,000 - more than three times its estimated value.
The jacket, worn by Lennon in a Life magazine photo shoot in 1966, had been predicted to sell for £30,000. It was thrown out by Lennon and wife Yoko Ono when they cleared out their New York apartment in 1977 and was given to a Salvation Army charity shop, where it was snapped up by a charity volunteer for £10. He sold it at auction in 1983 for £100.
Among the other lots, part of a collection of 12 items of Lennon memorabilia amassed over 25 years by an anonymous American, was a pair of Lennon's trademark round wire spectacles which came in a box addressed to "Mr John Lennon". They sold for £55,000.
A piano from Lennon's New York apartment fetched £140,000 and watercolours painted by the musician aged 11 were bought for £70,000 - twice their estimated price.
Cooper Owen managing director John Collins said: "Every item speaks for itself in terms of rarity, importance, and cultural significance. We're honoured to be passing them on."
Find this story at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/articles/19949711?version=2
©2005 Associated New Media
