John Lennon's Schoolbook Fetches $226,150 in London Auction

John Lennon's schoolbook, entitled ``My Anthology,'' fetched 126,500 pounds ($226,150) at a London sale of rock memorabilia last night. Auction house Cooper Owen Plc had set a minimum price of 100,000 pounds for the 12-year- old's scribbles and drawings. ``It is fitting that one of the earliest items from Britain's greatest songwriter has fetched such a significant amount,'' Cooper Owen Director of Acquisitions Ted Owen said in a statement. A 1966 Rickenbacker guitar that once belonged to the Byrds' Roger McGuinn sold for 110,000 pounds. The Beatles had 17 U.K. No. 1 singles, second only to Elvis Presley, who had 21. Experienced buyers tend to seek rare and well-preserved items that illuminate the Beatles' history, according to collectors and dealers. Lennon's schoolbook illustration of ``The Walrus and the Carpenter'' revealed the inspiration behind the Beatles classic, ``I Am the Walrus,'' said Cooper Owen. Lennon, born in Liverpool in 1940, was shot dead outside his New York apartment house in 1980. His handwritten lyrics to the Beatles song ``Nowhere Man'' sold for $455,500 in 2003 at Christie's International, the No. 1 auction house. Surrey, England-based Cooper Owen, which specializes in selling music and film collectibles, held its first sale last year after a revamp of a previous auction house.
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