Got a few thousand dollars up your sleeve? If you’re a Beatles’ fan, you’ll soon have the chance to purchase one of the most tragic pieces of rock memorabilia going around.
According to NME, the copy of John Lennon‘s 1980 album Double Fantasy – which Lennon signed for Mark David Chapman hours before Chapman shot and killed him – is up for auction.
California auction house Moments In Time is selling the album on behalf of its current owner, who purchased it in 2003, when it had a reserve price of $525,000. The man who found the album outside Lennon’s apartment sold it in 1999, however the price tag remains unknown.
According to the listing, the copy of Double Fantasy features Lennon’s autograph on the cover and Chapman’s forensically enhanced fingerprints. A marking – WJT-2 – appears in black ink just above Lennon’s signature, which is presumably some code from its use as evidence.
Moments In Time spokesperson Bob Zafian said the piece of memorabilia also came with further documentation such as police reports and letters from the District Attorney.
“We are very excited to bring such a historically significant piece to the market,” he said.
Coincidentally, the news of the album’s auction comes on the anniversary of the fatal incident taking place in Los Angeles in 1980.
