Beatles' memorabilia sells fast, especially when it was owned by John Lennon, autographed by three members of the Fab Four and remains an infamous part of their discography.
Over the weekend, word spread that Lennon's "butcher cover" of Yesterday and Today sold for $234,000 at a Beatles-themed auction. The vinyl copy, which was autographed by Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, also features a back cover sketch drawn by Lennon and was one of 300 items up for sale at Julien’s Auctions' The Beatles in Liverpool auction. "This was a world record for a Beatles Butcher cover and the third highest price paid for a vinyl," Darren Julien, CEO/President of Julien’s Auctions, said in a statement. "The market is still developing so we anticipate in the next five years this same record could bring $500,000 plus."
As per the auction, Lennon's copy of the album "was displayed on the wall of John’s Dakota apartment in New York City before being signed and given to Beatles fan Dave Morrell, in a trade to obtain the reel-to-reel recording of Yellow Matter Custard that Morrell owned." Elsewhere in the statement, it was revealed that the buyer, who asked to remain anonymous, is a US collector, who purchased the item "as an investment believing it will increase in value in the years to come."
This marks the third-highest price ever paid for a vinyl recording after a $790,000 bid for Ringo Starr’s personal copy of the Beatles' White Album and an acetate copy of Elvis Presley’s "My Happiness," which was bought secretly by Jack White in 2015.
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