George Harrison’s guitar he played at The Beatles’ final Cavern gig is expected to fetch between £300,000 to £400,000 at auction.
The ‘Yellow Submarine’ hitmaker – who passed away from lung cancer in 2001 at the age of 58 – was loaned the rare Australian-made Maton Master Sound MS-500 by repair shop Barretts of Manchester, whilst his own guitar was fixed, but he adored the instrument and carried on playing it.
The stringed instrument, which was used by the iconic musician during the summer of 1963, is to be sold at Gardiner Houlgate auctions in Corsham, Wiltshire, and is expected to be popular with fans.
Harrison was last photographed with the Maton at the legendary rock ‘n’ roll band’s final appearance at Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club, exactly 55 years ago today (03.08.18).
Auctioneer Luke Hobbs said: "This guitar is something very special – a direct link to the early days of Beatlemania and those era-defining gigs at the Cavern Club. Just touching it makes your fingers tingle.
"We’re expecting interest from right around the world. It’s very rare for one of George Harrison’s guitars to come up for auction.
"In this case we have excellent provenance including letters and photographs. The guitar is also documented in books about the Beatles."
Between 1961 and 1963, the Beatles – which were completed by Sir Ringo Star, Sir Paul McCartney and the late John Lennon – played 292 performances at the Cavern Club, but eventually outgrew its capacity.
The club was demolished in the early 70s but in July this year, McCartney played a secret gig at a replica of the iconic venue in his home city.
A pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses from the late 70s/early 80s, which were custom-made especially for Harrison are also being sold by the private collector and are expected to fetch over £3,000.
The auction will take place at Gardiner Houlgate in Wiltshire on September 12 from 11am.
George Harrison guitar expected to fetch up to £400K
