A "Bag One" leather case and original erotic lithograph from John Lennon's controversial 1970 exhibition is set to lead a strong selection of rare Beatles memorabilia in Heritage Auctions' Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction.
 Many of the prints were never returned by Scotland Yard |
The leather case and print will be sold as a combined lot on December 14 in Dallas with an estimated sale price of $7,000+. The items originate from a series of prints that Lennon gave to Yoko Ono as a wedding gift in 1969.
The lithographs were offered at the London exhibition, each in a limited edition of just 300. Those that purchased all 14 prints received the white patent leather zippered portfolio bag to carry them in.
The lot contains Lennon's Erotic #2, which is one of eight nude sketches of both himself and Ono that were included in the exhibition.
 Erotic #2 is one of the more reserved prints in the series |
Met with strong controversy, the original artworks were eventually confiscated by Scotland Yard while on exhibit in London and, although Lennon was exonerated in the courts, many of the prints were mishandled or never returned.
Also featuring in the sale is a low-numbered copy of The White Album, which was originally gifted to Paul McCartney's ex-girlfriend Jane Asher. The actress was filming the movie The Winter's Tale at Pinewood Studios when she received the record, but unfortunately left it with the studio's prop manager, Peter Allchorne.
The record remained in Allchorne's prop box since 1968, until it was discovered again in 2011. Numbered A0000023, the cover has been graded Near Mint 8, while the record itself has been given the highest grading possible, Gem-Mint 10. It will sell for $2,500+.
Paul Fraser Collectibles is also offering a John Lennon autographed drawing, as well as the cover for A Hard Day's Night, which has been signed by all four members of the Beatles and is one of just 8-10 known to exist. See all of our Beatles memorabilia for sale.
