A black-and-white 1962 Rickenbacker 425 played by George Harrison during his early Beatles years sold at auction for $657,000.
According to Julien's Auctions:
Also sold at the auction was a handwritten placard with doodles signed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono from their 1969 anti-war "bed-in" in Montreal, which fetched $187,000. A Hofner bass rented by Paul McCartney in the mid-1960s sold for $125,000.[The guitar was] purchased in 1963 in Mount Vernon, Illinois by Harrison while on a two-week visit to see his sister, Louise (serial # BH 439). The guitar was originally purchased at Fenton’s Music store and refinished by the owner from a Fireglo finish to the black George requested to match John Lennon’s similar Rickenbacker.
Harrison used the historical Rickenbacker for The Beatles first appearance on the television program Ready Steady Go! in October of 1963 and on the program Thank Your Lucky Stars in December of 1963. He also used it during a week-long tour in Sweden. Harrison was photographed with the guitar extensively and the entire band has been photographed posing with the guitar. This is purported to be the only known photograph in existence of all four members of The Beatles holding a single guitar.
George Harrison played the 1962 Rickenbacker 425 in the Abbey Road studios when The Beatles recorded I Want to Hold Your Hand. This song gave The Beatles their now infamous big break in the United States. The same studio session included the recording of “This Boy.”
Both George Harrison and John Lennon played this guitar. Lennon played it backstage at a performance in Glasgow, Scotland on October 5, 1963. A photograph published in an August 1964 issue of Beat Monthly magazine shows Lennon with this very guitar. In the late 1960s or early 1970s Harrison gave this guitar to George Peckham, who had a long association with George Harrison and also Apple. Peckham originally borrowed a guitar from Harrison for his own appearance on Top of the Pops as a rhythm guitarist in the band The Fourmost.Upon returning it Harrison asked him if he would like to keep a guitar and showed him the Rickenbacker 425 considering is a “great rhythm player.” Peckham kept the guitar on the condition it would never be modified. The guitar case was given later to Peckham by Noddy Holder of Slade after Holder saw Peckham walking around with the guitar without a case and could not personally bear to see a Beatles guitar carried around without one.
The rare Rickenbacker 425 guitar with exceptional Beatles history is accompanied by two letters from Harrison’s office which confirm he gave the guitar to Peckham. One from Olivia Harrison and the other from Caroline Foxwell, Harrison’s assistant. Also present with the guitar is a letter from Peckham explaining the circumstances of the guitar. The guitar has also been exhibited at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, the John Lennon Museum in Saitama, Japan and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.
Also sold, for $408,000, was another guitar with John and George associations: A semi-hollow custom made by Vox -- played, at least a little, by both Beatles:
The guitar was a prototype instrument custom-built for Lennon in 1966, said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's. Lennon gave the VOX guitar as a gift in 1967 to Yanni "Magic Alex" Mardas, who was the electronics engineer for the band's Apple Records label, the auction house said.
...Harrison played the instrument, distinguished by two symmetrical flared shoulders on the upper body, while practising "I Am The Walrus," and Lennon used it in a video session for the song "Hello, Goodbye," according to a statement from Julien's.
FYI: This guitar does NOT appear in the released "Hello, Goodbye" promo film.
Another auction item of interest detailed by Julien's :
John Lennon’s Original Signed Shroud of Tourin Art Work (Estimate $20,000-$30,000) created by the legendary Beatle titled at the top right corner “Shroud of Tourin” will also be offered. The mixed media on unstretched canvas artwork shows the image of a man, who appears to be Lennon, wearing two pairs of glasses and the Batman symbol across his chest. He has his fists held in front of him and written on his knuckles are the words “love” and “hate” respectively. To the left of the figure is a cross on a hill with a crown hovering over it, the word “Elvis” in what may be a bowl beneath the cross. Words and phrases are written across the image in different directions including “Spectacles/wife child love/maijhuana” – “Holy Batman I knew this would happen,” and below the drawing of a radio “tune in if you/want.” Signed by John Lennon above the radio and beneath another drawing of a cross on a hill.
I haven't found any confirmation on whether this sold, nor any larger pictures. Please give a shout if you have any more information!
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