John Lennon’s Letter To Eric Clapton Sells for $35,000 At Auction

A draft of a letter John Lennon wrote to Eric Clapton on Sept. 29, 1971 asking him to collaborate on a musical project recently sold for $35,000 at an auction.

According to Rolling Stone, the eight-page letter, handwritten by the former Beatle and signed from “John and Yoko” was still in pristine condition. It was originally estimated to fetch somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000.

The organizers of the Profiles in History auction titled the letter ‘The Property Of A Distinguished American Private Collector Part 1.' They explain that this was Lennon's draft of the final letter (word processing wasn't around, remember) and that “the content of the final version sent to Clapton is unknown. In this draft Lennon writes unequivocally of his respect and admiration for Clapton and how their minds could transform music and the world.”

Clapton had a very close relationship with the Beatles -- particularly George Harrison, but that’s a whole other story. In 1969 Clapton joined Lennon and Yoko for the Plastic Ono Band's ‘Live Peace In Toronto’ concert and album, and the couple obviously considered the guitarist a kindred spirit.