Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay, a huge music collector, has added another amazing gem to his collection by picking up Beatles star John Lennon’s Sgt. Peppers-era piano.
According to TMZ Sports, Irsay paid $718,750 at auction for the piano Lennon used to write portions of the Fab Four’s eighth studio album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
The piano was made in 1872 by John Broadwood & Sons and a plaque affixed to the instrument says, “On this piano was written: A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Good Morning, Good morning, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite and Many others. John Lennon. 1971.”
Irsay is thrilled, of course.
I’m elated to now be the steward of John’s “Sgt. Pepper” upright piano. It’s a responsibility I take seriously, with future generations in mind. #GettingThemBackTogether #Beatles
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) April 20, 2019
But the Sgt. Pepper’s piano is hardly the first Beatles item Isray added to his collection. In 2015, he paid $2.1 million for Ringo’s “drop-T” drum kit seen on the 1964 broadcast of the Ed Sullivan Show.
In addition, the Colts owner already has an orange 1963 Gretsch hollow-bodied model once owned by Lennon. Irsay paid $530,000 for the piece in 2015. Irsay also acquired a custom 1966 Vox played by Lennon and Harrison for $408,000 in 2013 and a 1964 Gibson SG once owned by George Harrison for $567,000 in 2004.
Irsay is not just a Beatles fan, though. He has a big collection of other music memorabilia, too. Among many other items, he owns Prince’s Yellow Cloud guitar, for instance. He also paid a million dollars each for Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger” guitar, and Bob Dylan’s Fender Stratocaster used at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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