Lennon toilet and album for sale
John Lennon's toilet is to be auctioned
Monday August 23 2010
John Lennon's toilet and one of his rarest albums will be among the highlights of an auction of Beatles memorabilia.
A mono-sound copy of Two Virgins, which he recorded with Yoko Ono, is expected to fetch at least £2,500.
When the avant-garde LP was released in November 1968 it was notable for being sold in brown paper bags because the sleeve controversially featured a naked picture of the famous couple. Although a limited release of 5,000 stereo versions of the album were available in shops, fans had to write to the record label to purchase a mono copy.
The exact number of mono copies sold isn't known, but auction organisers say it's likely to be as few as a "couple of hundred".
As a result, the sale, part of the 33rd annual Beatles Convention in Liverpool, is attracting record levels of interest.
The auction is also inviting bids for Lennon's toilet from Tittenhurst Park, his Berkshire home between 1969 and 1972.
Lennon told builder John Hancock to keep the porcelain lavatory and "use it as a plant pot" after he'd installed a new one. It was stored in a shed at Mr Hancock's home for 40 years until he died recently.
The toilet carries an estimate of £750 to £1,000.
Beatles expert and auction organiser Stephen Bailey said: "The toilet might be worth something, and it might not, but it is certainly one of the more unusual items we've sold."
A total of 295 lots are being sold in the auction, which will take place next Saturday (August 28) in the Paul McCartney Auditorium at Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts from 10am.
Press Association
