A signed, hand-written letter from Beatle John Lennon to legendary guitarist Eric Clapton could bring as much as $30,000 at auction next month.
In the letter, Lennon held out a promise he could bring out even more musical genius in Clapton. It was dated Sept. 29, 1971, and in it, Lennon expressed his respect and admiration for his fellow British musician, and suggested they form a band together.
Eric, I know I can bring out something great, in fact greater in you that had been so far evident in your music. I hope to bring out the same kind of greatness in all of us, which I know will happen if/when we get together.
The letter is just one piece of memorabilia that’s going on the auction block in Los Angeles at the Profiles in History Auction, set for Dec. 18, reports Reuters.
Now this would have been an ultimate rock band. Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards play together at Rock and Roll Circus 1968.
Auctioneer Joe Maddalena said the letter will be especially significant for Beatles fans, as it came shortly after the band broke up in 1970. He said it was widely known the Beatles had problems, and that Clapton nearly joined the band.
Clapton did play in the Plastic Ono Band, formed by Lennon and wife Yoko Ono in 1969, and played on George Harrison’s song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” on the Beatles’ White Album.
The letter will hold special significance for Beatles fans as auctioneer Joe Maddalena said it was widely known that there were problems in the Fab Four’s relationships with each other, and that Clapton had almost become a Beatle.
Other auction highlights will include a handwritten letter from George Washington, which has a pre-sale estimate of up to $300,000, and a Charles Dickens manuscript, containing an obituary of novelist William Thackeray, expected to bring in $40,000 to $60,000.
The auctioneers will also sell a signed, handwritten letter from Ludwig van Beethoven to his publisher’s friend Tobias Haslinger. In it, the musician discusses the second performance of his Ninth Symphony and the Missa Solemnis. The letter is undated but both works debuted in 1824. The letter, which is written in German, is expected to go for $40,000 to $60,000.