The upright piano, was made by John Broadwood & Sons. The Broadwood piano was dated by the auction house has circa 1872 and was supoosedly acquired by Lennon around 1966.
The auction house, GottaHaveRockandRoll.com catalog listing stated:
"This is John Lennon’s elaborately painted upright piano from his Kenwood and Tittenhurst Park homes that he used when composing songs for the Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s” album including “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, “A Day In The Life” as well as many other songs. The piano dates circa 1872 and is numbered on the wooden frame 4112. The piano originally sold from a private collection at Sotheby's London, September 1, 1983, Lot 477. John lived at Kenwood from 1964 – 1968, some of his most productive years of his career. Although there was at least one other piano at the residence, this was John’s favorite, and it is believed he acquired it circa 1966. The piano is described in the 1967 Beatles Book. After selling Kenwood, Lennon moved the piano to his new residence that he purchased with Yoko Ono, Tittenhurst Park. Before giving the piano to a friend, John had a plaque affixed to the piano that reads “"On this piano was written: A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Good Morning, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite and many others. John Lennon. 1971." The piano itself has great value as John Broadwood and Sons was founded in 1728 and some of history’s greatest composers, including Mozart, Haydn, Chopin, Beethoven and Liszt are all known to have used the firm's instruments. And of course, Lennon as well! Provenance: Sotheby's London (1 September 1983, Lot 477) — Private Collection. Comes with a Gotta Have Rock & Roll™ Certificate of Authenticity."
The Indy Star reported on the purchase
Source: Indy StarJim Irsay's pricey collection of music memorabilia just got bigger.
The Indianapolis Colts owner tweeted Saturday morning that he is now the steward of the piano John Lennon used to compose songs for the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.
Why Jim Irsay spent $2.4M: On a manuscript with pencil scrawls in the margins
"I’m elated to now be the steward of John’s “Sgt. Pepper” upright piano," Irsay tweeted. "It’s a responsibility I take seriously, with future generations in mind. #GettingThemBackTogether #Beatles"
The piano, made by John Broadwood & Sons, was up for auction at GottaHaveRockandRoll.com. It dates circa 1872 and was in Lennon's Kenwood and Tittenhurst Park homes. It is believed he acquired the piano circa 1966, according to the auction site.
The minimum required bid for the piano was $575,000, and the site estimated it would sell for between $800,000 and $1.2 million. A Colts source would not confirm how much Irsay paid for the piano, and the price had not been disclosed publicly as of Saturday afternoon.
Irsay has long been a collector of music memorabilia.
In 2016, he purchased the Yellow Cloud electric guitar that Prince used in concerts from the late-1980s until the mid-1990s for $137,500. In 2002, he paid $957,000 for Jerry Garcia's one-of-a-kind "Tiger" guitar. And in 2013, he purchased the Fender Stratocaster used by Bob Dylan in the 1965 Newport Folk Festival for $965,000.
In all, Irsay has about 200 guitars in his collection.
He's also a huge Beatles fan. In 2004, Irsay bought a Gibson SG that George Harrison gave to Badfinger's Pete Ham 35 years earlier. He also purchased the Beatles' 1966 Vox guitar for $408,000 in 2013.
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