Lennon items go on display at Liverpool home

LONDON, England -- Sixty-five years after John Lennon's birth, items from the late Beatle's childhood will go on display at his former Liverpool home.

The exhibition, which includes a copy of Lennon's Sunday School attendance sheet and replicas of his early paintings -- also comes 25 years after he was murdered by a deranged fan in New York.

The items, chosen by Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, will be unveiled Wednesday at the Menlove Avenue home in the English seaport city where he was raised by his Aunt Mimi.

The semi-detached house -- known as Mendips -- was also where Lennon began writing songs with Paul McCartney that became Beatles' classics.

The house is now managed by the National Trust, a charity that oversees heritage sites in England.

"Yoko chose the items very carefully, as she wanted to do something special to mark the year of John's 65th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of his death," said Shelagh Johnston, a Beatles expert who acts as an adviser to Ono.

"She has tried to keep the spirit of the house alive, and to refresh the exhibits so that every few years there is something new for people to enjoy."

Among the replicas of paintings by Lennon as a child is one depicting soccer players and native American Indians -- images he later used on the cover on his 1974 album "Walls And Bridges."

Another is a painting of one of Lennon's teachers, entitled "Mr. Bob."

There is also a replica of his passport from 1960 to 1970, charting The Beatles' history from the early years in Hamburg, Germany, to the rest of Europe, America and later trips to Japan and India.

Copies of Lennon's post-war identity card, swimming proficiency certificate and entrance exam card to Quarry Bank Grammar School will also be on display.

"The items are all from personal family archives, and can now be viewed in their original setting," said Simon Osbourne, the National Trust's properties manager in Liverpool.

"We hope that many people will visit Mendips in this special year, and take the opportunity to see a very personal side of John as a child through this unique collection of memorabilia."

'Sgt Pepper' tunic sold

£600,000 price tag for Lennon's jacket

29 Jul 05 - The John Lennon tunic which inspired the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover has sold at auction for £100,000.

The military band tunic, worn by him for a Life magazine photo-shoot in 1966, went for three times it's estimated value.

The iconic jacket was one of 12 items of Lennon memorabilia, collected over 25 years, that went under the hammer at the Cooper Owen auction in London.

A handwritten manuscript of All You Need Is Love sold for £600,000.

The manuscript, which had been expected to fetch £500,000, was retrieved from the stage floor directly after the Beatles' final live TV performance in 1967.

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.

A pair of his distinctive round spectacles, which came in a box addressed to "Mr John Lennon", went for £55,000.

Ted Owen, the director of Cooper Owen auctioneers said:

"The items in this sale combine all the best elements of the man himself. It is iconic, idealistic and irreverent.

YAY,

Thanks JohnDaker!! As you can tell, John Lennon is my favourite (along with Buddy!!)

Just to update on your article:


Lennon lyrics fetch $1 million at auction

John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "All You Need is Love," salvaged from his music stand after the Beatles' final television appearance in 1967, have sold at auction in London for $1 million.

It was among a trove of Lennon memorabilia which fetched $1.75 million during a sale at London's Hippodrome nightclub on Thursday.

The tunic of a World War One military bandsman, worn by Lennon for a 1966 Life magazine photo shoot -- and a possible inspiration for the group's martial look on the cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" -- sold for $175,000.

The sale included youthful paintings and handwritten lyrics, jackets, eyeglasses and even furniture from the late former Beatle's home.

The most valuable items were gathered over 25 years by one anonymous American collector. Auctioneer Cooper Owen, a company which specializes in music and film memorabilia, said it was "the most definitive collection of John Lennon memorabilia ever assembled."

Cooper Owen managing director John Collins said the items stood out for their "rarity, importance, and cultural significance."

A piano from Lennon's New York apartment fetched $245,000 and watercolors painted by the musician aged 11 were bought for $123,000.

A pair of his signature round granny glasses, which came in a box addressed to "Mr. John Lennon," went for $97,000.

There was no immediate information on who bought the items.

Cooper Owen director Ted Owen said the "All You Need is Love" manuscript was "the Holy Grail of Beatles lyrics."

"It's probably one of the few remaining Beatles lyrics in private collectors' hands and one of the most important musical manuscripts in existence," Owen said. "It was the anthem of the peace movement ... the anthem of 1967."

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I WISH I had the money to buy that lyric page!!!!