A controversial John Lennon record could be the most valuable in the world
In 1988, CD sales surpassed vinyl for the first time, rendering the 12” discs obsolete. However, over the past two decades, since the dawn of mp3 downloads and online streaming, the music industry has observed vinyl comeback. In 2022, record sales figures grew for the 15th consecutive year, rising to a shelf-splitting 5.5million units. These stats only reflect the market for newly pressed records, disregarding the thriving second-hand market where punters bid for rare first pressings and mint condition gems. Some of these collectables set avid collectors back a few quid, but very few will rival a particularly unique and historically significant John Lennon record.
Technically speaking, a record’s value can’t be truly assessed until it goes up for auction and some lunatic lays down life-changing wads of cash. In 2015, Ringo Starr made headlines when he put his copy of The Beatles’ self-titled 1968 album (commonly referred to as The White Album) up for auction. As the band had shrewdly numbered the first run, it was possible to trace earlier pressings. Starr’s copy was No.0000001 and fetched a record-breaking $790,000 at Julien’s auction in the US.
The record in question today is John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1980 album, Double Fantasy. You could get your hands on an early pressing of the late Beatle’s final album for around £20 on the second-hand market, but one of these early copies was made infamous and invaluable on December 8th, 1980.
In November 1980, Lennon’s murderer, a 25-year-old New Yorker named Mark Chapman, purchased a copy of Double Fantasy. For several years, the troubled young man had been obsessed with Lennon but also jealous of his popularity and lavish lifestyle. Having toyed with the idea of murdering his idol, Chapman travelled to Atlanta to obtain a firearm and ammunition.
In a 2022 parole hearing, Chapman admitted that he had “evil in my heart” and said that killing Lennon was “my big answer to everything. I wasn’t going to be a nobody anymore”.
Eerily, six hours prior to the shooting, Chapman approached the former Beatle to have his copy of Double Fantasy signed. Lennon and Ono had been on their way out to a session at The Record Plant; when they returned home later that evening, Chapman reappeared with a loaded gun and opened fire. As the gunshot resounded in an archway close to Lennon’s New York residence, Ono ducked from the noise before turning to see Lennon lying on the floor. “John’s been shot,” she screamed.
Chapman remained at the scene, allowing the NYPD officers to arrest him as he sat calmly, reading a copy of J. D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Following the arrest, Chapman’s possessions, including his signed copy of Double Fantasy, were obtained for evidence.
In the 1990s, Jack Douglas, the producer of Double Fantasy, bought Chapman’s copy before selling it to a private collector in 1999 for $400,000. Chapman donated proceeds from the original sale to charity in an act of contrition.
The record was resold once again in 2003. The price wasn’t disclosed this time, but the reserve price was revealed as $525,000. Just seven years later, the anonymous owner of the record put it up for sale online via Moments in Time for a price “Available Upon Request.” However, several publications have since revealed that the auction site is looking for $850,000 (£535,000) for the item.
According to Moments In Time, the copy comes complete with a cover and dust jacket that contain Chapman’s forensically enhanced fingerprints since the police obtained the sleeve as a “crucial piece” of evidence.
For readers with a little loose change hanging around, the record remains available for sale on the Moments In Time website today. When, and if, it sells, it will break Ringo Starr’s record as the most expensive record on the planet.
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