The John Lennon-autographed copy of Double Fantasy that was signed for his killer, Mark Chapman, is being offered for sale again by a UK dealer.
 Chapman waited at the scene until he was arrested |
The album, which was signed just five hours before Chapman shot Lennon dead outside his New York apartment, was first sold in 1999 for around $150,000.
An estimated price for the present sale has not yet been set by the dealer.
John Lennon first signed the album for Chapman on December 8, 1980 outside the Dakota building where the former Beatle lived. Chapman then waited outside the building for Lennon to return, before shooting him in the back.
The signed album was then stuffed into a planter at the side of the building, where it was discovered by a maintenance worker. It was used as evidence in Chapman's trial and still bears his forensically enhanced fingerprints. It will be sold complete with police reports and letters for the District Attorney.
Following the trial, the album was returned to the maintenance worker who discovered it, though Chapman himself attempted to sell the record from prison. In 1986, he wrote a letter to a memorabilia dealer, stating: "On December 8, 1980 I shot and killed John Lennon. Before this, earlier in the afternoon, I had asked him to sign his Double Fantasy album. I have tried unsuccessfully for years (and 2 attorneys) to get this item back, seeking to place it at auction and donating the money to a children's charity."
Paul Fraser Collectibles has an extraordinary range of Beatles memorabilia for sale, including a John Lennon autographed drawing and a Lennon autographed photo.
