A GUITAR stolen from the late John Lennon in the 1960s sold for US$2.41 million Saturday at an auction in Beverly Hills, California, and a Beatles drumhead went for US$2.1 million, fetching some of the highest prices ever for items of rock and roll memorabilia.

    The 1962 J-160E Gibson acoustic guitar had for decades been in the possession of John McCaw, a novice musician who bought it in the late 1960s without knowing it had been stolen from the legendary Beatle several years before, said auctioneer Darren Julien.

    Half of the proceeds from the sale of the guitar, which was stolen from Lennon at a December 1963 Christmas concert, will go toward the Spirit Foundation, a charitable organization that he and his widow, Yoko Ono, created, Julien said. The instrument’s authenticity was determined by its matching serial number and wood grain, among other things, Julien said.

    The buyer, who paid US$2.41 million at a Julien’s Auctions event, has asked to remain anonymous, Julien said.

    According to Guinness World Records, a Fender Stratocaster guitar sold for a record US$2.7 million at a 2005 charity event in Qatar.

    On Nov. 7, another big seller at the Julien’s Auctions event was a Beatles drumhead, which is the membrane stretched over a drum. The drumhead, which was used by The Beatles when they made their historic appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964, sold for US$2.1 million, Julien said.(SD-Agencies)