John Lennon's lost guitar, featured on 'Help!,' sold for a record $2.8 million
A lost guitar played by John Lennon at height of Beatlemania that had been stashed away in an attic for decades has been sold at auction for more than $2.8 million.
A lost guitar played by John Lennon at height of Beatlemania that had been stashed away in an attic for decades has been sold at auction for more than $2.8 million. The sale makes it the most expensive item belonging to a former Beatle and one of the most expensive guitars of all time.
The 1964 12-string Framus Hootenanny guitar, played by both Lennon and George Harrison during the making of "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" in 1965, was considered missing for 50 years. But it re-emerged and was sold at New York's Hard Rock Cafe on Wednesday for $2,857,500, Julien's Auctions said in a statement.
A Gibson acoustic guitar also once owned by Lennon was sold at auction for $2.4 million in 2015.
Lennon can be seen playing the Framus guitar in the movie "Help!" and it has been matched to photos from recording sessions and handwritten notes by producer George Martin, the auctioneer said.
The German-made guitar features prominently on songs including "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," an example of The Beatles moving towards the folk-rock popularized by Bob Dylan and lyrics with more story-telling qualities.
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