John Lennon's guitar sold in Beverly Hills for $ 2,4 million

The John Lennon guitar stolen in 1960-ies was sold at an auction in Beverly Hills for a record 2,4 million dollars. The buyer of the instrument, as reported by the auction house, wished to remain anonymous.

But it is known that the Gibson guitar, bought by Lennon in Liverpool in 1962, was used when working on such legendary Beatles compositions as “Love Me Do”, “Please Please Me”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “From” Me to You."

The guitar went missing after the Beatles' Christmas concert in London on the eve of 1964 and was discovered in a thrift store in the United States: guitarist John McCaw purchased it for several hundred dollars in 1970, unaware of who owned the instrument. Later, the musician’s friends, looking at an album of photographs of the Beatles, noticed the resemblance of the guitar to the one Lennon was holding in his hands.

Later, experts confirmed the authenticity of the guitar from photographs and movie frames.

Last Thursday at the Sotheby’s auction house was a full house - they sold Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and the Soviet founder of abstract art, Kazimir Malevich. Among the buyers were probably billionaires from Russia and other post-Soviet countries. At auctions selling works by old masters and European painting of the 19 century, they traditionally buy about a third of lots. In the hall - next to the ladies in haute couture and gentlemen in butterflies - there were also mere mortals: they are regularly given the opportunity to admire art before it settles in the collections of the rich and famous.