An early George Harrison-owned guitar that was turned down by a 1964 competition winner could now make over $1 million at auction say the sellers.
The instrument is one of the most famous in Beatles history.
It was bought by a 16-year-old George Harrison, who had just started work as an apprentice electrician, from a Liverpool music store for “a pound down, the rest when they catch you” in 1959.
Inspired by the Fender Stratocaster of his hero Buddy Holly, the young musician had to make do with a copycat by Czech makers and came away with the Resonet Futurama.
Harrison went with Paul McCartney to Frank Hessy’s Liverpool music store in November 1959 and secured the guitar with the help of a hire purchase agreement signed by George’s mother, Louise Harrison, using the name E Harrison.
An attempt to cash in on The Beatles link in this 1960s Futurama ad.
The 55 guineas in 44 payments (that took 48 weeks to clear) is probably around £1,500 in 2024 money.
Harrison got a guitar that was to be his workhorse for the next few years as The Beatles completed the punishing gigging schedule that helped forge them into one of the best live bands in music history.
He described it as a “dog” to play, but loved the sound, and reportedly used it at 324 shows, finally putting it down for the last time in October 1962 as The Beatles ended their Hamburg shows.
The guitar was then given to journalist Sean O’Mahony of Liverpool’s Beats Instrumental magazine. It was offered to fans in a July 1964 contest and won by an A J Thompson from Saltdean near Brighton. When Mr Thompson went to collect his prize, he revealed he didn’t play the guitar and was offered a cash alternative by O’Mahony. He accepted it.
The Mahony family kept the guitar, which was offered for auction in 2019 and sold privately the same year.
The current owner read about the sale of John Lennon’s Hootenanny guitar in May this year for $2.85 million and contacted Julien*s auctions.
They will sell the guitar at their November 20 – 22 Played, Worn and Torn sale in Nashville, Tennessee.
It carries a $600,000 to $800,000 estimate, but at an announcement at The Beatles’ Story in Liverpool Julien*s co-founder Martin Nolan said he expected the instrument to make over $1 million.
He said, “It’s amazing to have this guitar in my hands, it gives me chills to think I’m the caretaker of something so iconic and so important in the success of the The Beatles.”
The guitar will be on show in Liverpool before the sale in Nashville at the end of next month.
