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London Handwritten lyrics to John Lennon's Give Peace a Chance are expected to fetch £300,000 at auction — with some of the proceeds going to a charity that helps children harmed by war.
Lennon scribbled the words during his “bed-in” with his wife, Yoko, in Montreal in 1969. The song was recorded at the end of the eight-day call for peace; now Gail Renard, who sneaked into the room at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, is selling the lyrics.
They are part of a rock and pop memorabilia sale at Christie's in London on July 10 that is expected to raise £1 million. A pair of Lennon's tinted glasses, is set to fetch up to £30,000.
Ms Renard, who was only 16 at the time of the bed-in, said: “I wanted to get John's message out again. He wrote this song about peace and that was important to him.
“I've had these lyrics for almost 40 years and I've been thinking it's a shame that no one else can see them.
“I don't know exactly what I am going to do with the money but I know I will give some to War Child because that seems very appropriate.”
Other Beatles items to go on sale include the bass drum skin seen on the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover and a ticket stub from a Hamburg concert signed by all four Beatles. The drum skin is expected to fetch up to £150,000.
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