Heartfelt letters from Beatle John Lennon, including a rant he fired off to Paul and Linda McCartney, are included in a five-decade collection of pop memorabilia up for sale Thursday at auction house Christie’s.
The draft letter, littered with spelling mistakes, deletions and expletives, swings between hurt and anger and affection for McCartney, offering an insight into their strained relationship at the time of the Beatles’ breakup in the early 1970s.
The letter was expected to fetch almost $120,000, Christie’s said.
Another Lennon letter, to his cousin Leila, shows a deeply nostalgic side as he reminisces about childhood Christmas vacations and his homesickness for England. It is expected to fetch more than $22,000.
Also up for auction is a letter written in 1958 by Elvis Presley to his girlfriend Anita Wood, in which the king of rock ‘n’ roll states his intention to marry her.
There is also a revealing letter from Janis Joplin to her fiance Peter Le Blanc written in 1965, and an unusual promotional display for the psychedelic cover for the Rolling Stones 1967 album “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” estimated to fetch more than $4,400.
More contemporary pieces in the sale include a Trabant two-door car body designed by British musician Brian Eno that Irish rock band U2 used to promote its 1992 album “Achtung Baby.”
An appointments diary used by pop star Madonna from April 1988 to January 1989 would likely fetch about $6,000, Christie’s said. It included frequently repeated entries for workouts, massages and leg waxes, the auction house said.