Uri Geller is the buyer of John Lennon’s iconic glasses
The illusionist Uri Geller has revealed himself to be the man who purchased a pair of John Lennon’s instantly recognisable round sunglasses at auction, costing him $40,000.
Most iconic stars have a defining feature, whether that be a beauty mark, a moustache, a certain hairstyle or a distinctive accessory. For Lennon, his rounded glasses became a trademark. He can be seen sporting one of many pairs on the cover of Imagine, arguably his most popular solo album.
The auction was held at Surrey’s Farleigh Golf Club, with various items belonging to The Beatles up for sale. Alongside a pair of Lennon’s glasses, which have blue-tinted lenses, eager fans also had the opportunity to buy photos of the band while they were working at Abbey Road Studios.
The photos were taken on the same day they posed for one of the most iconic images in music history – the Fab Four crossing the road outside the studio, used on the cover of Abbey Road.
A spokesperson from Catherine Southon Auctioneers & Valuers shed light on the story behind the glasses, who were owned by a man who met the band at Abbey Road Studios: “The young man saw the spectacles lying on the piano and went to pick them up but was told by his then girlfriend to leave them, to which Lennon replied, ‘It’s OK, he can have them.’”
The man, known only as Michael, also added, “They are not John Lennon’s prescription glasses, but he gave them to me and wished me happy birthday, so that is good enough for me.”
Talking to the BBC, Geller, a successful magician, said, “John Lennon and I were very good friends while we were living in New York in the 1970s.” He described their friendship as a “really close” connection, adding, “John changed my life as that’s where I learned about spirituality.”
Believing that “glasses are a passage into our soul, into our psyche,” Geller claimed that he “knew I had to buy these glasses whatever. I would have gone up to £500,000.”
The illusionist stated that the glasses would be placed inside his museum, the Uri Geller Museum, which is located in Tel Aviv. There is a dedicated John Lennon section where the glasses will now reside.
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