USA: John Lennon's long-lost guitar sells for over $2.4 million at LA auction

A guitar that belonged to John Lennon, the co-founder of the Beatles, was sold at auction in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, for $2.41 million (€2.2m) on Saturday. Lennon used the Gibson J-160E guitar in the studio for most of the Beatles' early recordings that required an acoustic guitar between 1962 and 1963. It can be heard on famous hits like Love Me Do, I want to Hold Your Hand and She Loves You. The auction took place at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, with around one hundred people attending the event and thousands following the bidding online. The winning bid was placed by an unknown customer over the phone. John McCaw, the previous owner of the guitar bought it for $175 (€162) from a friend in San Diego 45 years ago. He said a portion of the money from the auction will be donated to charity. According to the Guinness World Records, the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction was a Fender Stratocaster that had been signed by several famous rock stars, including Kieth Richards and Paul McCartney. The guitar sold for a record $2.7 million (€2.51m) at a charity auction in Doha, Qatar in 2005.