A pair of sunglasses worn by Beatles (opens in new tab) icon John Lennon (opens in new tab) have sold at auction for £137,500.
The sale was organised by Sotheby’s in London (opens in new tab), with the gold-tone, wire-framed sunglasses by Oliver Goldsmith originally estimated to sell for between £6000 - £8000.
Lennon received the glasses in 1966 in preparation for his role in Richard Lester’s film How I Won The War, with the pair owned by former Beatles’ chauffeur Alan Herring.
He explains: “In the summer of 1968, I had picked John up with Ringo and George in Ringo’s Mercedes and driven the boys into the office.
“When John got out of the car I noticed that he’d left these sunglasses on the back seat and one lens and one arm had become disconnected.
“I asked John if he’d like me to get them fixed for him. He told me not to worry they were just for the look! He said he’d send out for some that fit. I never did get them mended I just kept them as they were as John had left them.”
In the sales notes, it’s reported that the spectacles were “lacking screw on one side resulting in loose temple, and lens, minor scratching to lenses.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that 2009 Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy was to be developed into a stage musical (opens in new tab).
The film starred Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Sam Bell and Anne-Marie Duff, with the screenplay written by Matt Greenhalgh.
Deadline reported that the stage rights had been acquired by producers Brian and Dayna Lee of AF Creative Media, along with Robyn Goodman and Josh Fiedler from Aged In Wood.
The musical is planned to make its premiere in the UK at some point within the next few years.
