John Lennon Memorabilia

The tunic which inspired the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover will be auctioned today. It is going under the hammer in a sale of John Lennon memorabilia which is expected to fetch €2m. The military band tunic, worn by Lennon in a Life magazine photoshoot in 1966, is predicted to sell for about €42,000. The tunic is said to have influenced the Sgt Pepper album cover – to which Paul McCartney’s band paid homage during a rendition of Sgt Pepper at Live 8.

The Cooper Owen auction, the biggest sale of Lennon memorabilia for 20 years, also includes Lennon’s hand-written manuscript of All You Need Is Love. The manuscript was retrieved from the stage floor directly after the Beatles’ final live TV performance in 1967.

A Yamaha electric piano given to Lennon by Elton John and an oil painting Lennon created while he was a student in Liverpool are also in the sale.

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 – and the sale itself will celebrate Lennon and his legacy the way it was meant to be celebrated.” The 12 items in the sale, which also include a recording of Lennon and Yoko Ono’s children singing Give Peace a Chance, were collected over a 25-year period.

The sale takes place from 7.30pm at The Hippodrome near London’s Leicester Square.