The Beatles: ‘Antiques Roadshow’ value guitar once owned by John Lennon and George Harrison at £400k

The current owner said he was given the guitar because he could play it better than Harrison

A guitar once owned by Beatles legends George Harrison and John Lennon has been valued at £400,000 on the Antiques Roadshow.

On tonight’s episode of the BBC show, the guitar’s current owner, a former session musician, said he was given the guitar because he could play it better than Harrison.

Bartell’s of California made the prototype fretless instrument in the 1960s and it was brought to Battle Abbey in Sussex for this week’s show.

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Valuing the guitar at between £300,000 and £400,000, expert Jon Baddeley said of the guitar: “I think in 25 years it’s by far the most expensive thing I’ve ever seen.”

He continued: “You know to a guitar collector it’s initially a very rare guitar. Then to somebody who’s a Beatles fan, to own a guitar that was once owned by both John Lennon and George Harrison, can you get a better history? Two of the most important rock stars of the 20th century.”

Blown away by the value of the guitar, the owner admitted that he still plays it regularly.

“I never really thought about value, as George being a mate and all that,” he said. “I don’t know what to say actually, I’m really taken aback by it.

“I didn’t realise it was worth that much money. It’s lucky I don’t keep it in the house.”

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The owner also showed the audience a photograph with George and the guitar, adding proof that it had once been a part of his impressive collection.

Meanwhile, The Beatles‘ Apple Corps company has won millions in a lawsuit over fake merchandise.

The company, which was founded by the band in 1968, has been awarded $77 million (£59.45 million) in a Florida lawsuit, one million for each defendant accused of selling fake Beatles-branded merch online.

None of the 77 defendants appeared in court, so the ruling comes as a default judgement.

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