John Lennon’s handwritten Beatles lyrics fetch over $650,000 at auction

By Dean Murray

Beatles lyrics John Lennon wrote on the back of a Valentine’s Day card have sold for $656,250.

The music icon wrote “If I Fell” by hand during the band’s 1964 New York trip for their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

The item sold as part of the Hollywood & Entertainment Signature Auction by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which achieved total sales of $14,098,033.

Other highlights included a screen-used “Otto the Autopilot” prop from Airplane!, which sold for $200,000, and two of The Big Lebowski’s “hero” rugs which went for $350,000 and $375,000.

Two hoverboards from Back to the Future Part II were bought by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment. The props were used by the Marty McFly character, one in special effects flying shots and the other in close-up shots, going for $125,000 and $87,500, respectively.

Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) dragon eggs and chest used in the production of HBO epic "Game of Thrones" achieved $312,500, while the top hat worn by Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka in 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory achieved $350,000.

A .44 magnum revolver held by Clint Eastwood’s police detective Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry action movie series, when he uttered his classic one-liners — “Go ahead, make my day” — sold for $206,250.

Joe Maddalena, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions, said: "This auction showed the passion collectors have for the most iconic items in entertainment history.

"These artifacts allow fans to hold a piece of our shared modern mythology, whether it’s the weapon that symbolises the hero of an iconic franchise, the paper on which a generation-defining musician poured their genius into a beloved song or promotional material for a landmark cinematic achievement."