John Lennon’s Original Drafts and Sketches Set for Auction
Sotheby’s will raise the bar on auction lots when the bidding on John Lennon’s original sketches and written drafts go up for auction on June 4. The sale, dubbed “You Might Well Arsk” will feature the most extensive private collection that belonged to Lennon’s original artwork, poems, manuscripts, handwritten amendments and typescripts and will take over 89 separate lots. Already, presale estimates range from $500 to $70,000. The sale will also include works related to his two books, A Spaniard in the Works and In His Own Write.
Currently, all of the items belong to Tom Maschler, a London-based publisher who has had possession of the collection since the singer’s infamous death. Maschler had, at one point, encouraged Lennon to compile all of his comic verses into manuscripts. Now, the June 4th sale will help mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.