John Lennon's personal copy of The Beatles' 'butcher cover' sells for $334k

An anonymous music fan has made music history, setting the third-highest price paid for a vinyl record while picking up a John Lennon-owned Beatles rarity.

Ask any fan of The Beatles, and they’ll likely tell you that their white whale is an original version of The Beatles’ 1966 US album Yesterday And Today.

A collection of singles and tracks from Rubber Soul and Help!, the music is often overlooked in favour of the record’s infamous cover.

Supposedly a response to the Vietnam War, the artwork sees the members of The Beatles dressed in white coats and surrounded by baby dolls and pieces of meat.

This edition was quickly removed from stores, though a number of old copies simply had new artwork pasted over the top. This has quickly led to fans paying immensely high prices for original copies of the record, becoming one of the most sought-after pieces of Beatles memorabilia to date.

Now, an anonymous buyer has paid a high price for a copy of the record personally owned by John Lennon and signed by the band’s members.

Image of the recently-sold version of John Lennon's copy of 'Yesterday And Today' by The Beatles

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Image of the recently-sold version of John Lennon's copy of 'Yesterday And Today' by The Beatles

As Rolling Stone reports, Julien’s Auctions in Liverpool recently sold the unique piece of vinyl, commanding a price of £180,000 (AUD $334,253).

This record in particular is a 1966 prototype of the infamous album, featuring signatures from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, with the rear cover featuring a drawing by Lennon.

The late Beatle had displayed the album of the wall of his New York City apartment before trading it to fan Dave Morrell to obtain a reel-to-reel recording of ‘Yellow Matter Custard’ that Morrell owned.

Purchased by an anonymous US collector, this album becomes the third-highest price ever paid for a vinyl record, with recordings by The Beatles and Elvis Presley taking up the top two spots.

“This was a world record for a Beatles Butcher cover and the third highest price paid for a vinyl,” explained Darren Julien, the CEO/President of Julien’s Auctions.

“In 2015 Julien’s sold Ringo Starr’s number 1 White Album for $790,000 and in January of that same year an acetate copy of ‘My Happiness’, the first song Elvis Presley ever recorded sold for $300,000.”

“This is the third highest price paid for a vinyl and the market is still developing so we anticipate in the next five years this same record could bring $500,000 plus.”

While it remains to be seen what will become of this rare piece of Beatles history, a mint condition “first state” copy of the album sold back in 2016 for the bargain-basement price of USD $125,000. Maybe it might be time to raid the racks at your local antique store?

In related news, an Australian supergroup called the ARC are set to hit the road later this year, performing The Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album in full. Check out all the details below!