In 1962, the Beatles were told by their manager, Brian Epstein, to up their style ante with sleek matching suits. But before that, the Fab Four took a more rebellious route, often wearing leather jackets on stage.
Now, thanks to Bonham’s, you can bid on one of the bad boy pieces from the Beatles’ formative years. George Harrison’s black leather jacket that he acquired in Germany during the early ’60s will be part of Bonham’s Entertainment Memorabilia sale on December 12 in London.
George wasn’t the last owner of the jacket, which comes with the label “Meyer-Schuchardt Sport und Leder Hamburg Monckebergstr. 6 Lubeck Breitestr. 37.” He gave it to his older brother Harry in 1964, and Harry then handed it down to his son Paul, who often flaunted the jacket at school in the ’70s. It remained in Harrison’s family until now.
That’s not the only Beatles piece that will be offered at auction. George’s leather boots (circa 1964) and a western-style orange shirt that he wore during the 1971 benefit show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the Concert for Bangladesh, will also be up for bid.
The Harrison pieces won’t come cheap – the jacket is estimated at £90,000-120,000 ($143,235-190,980), the boots at £12,000-15,000 ($19,098-23,873), and the shirt at £6,000-8,000 ($9,549-12,732). But hey, at least the winning bidder on the jacket will also walk away with a copy of the documentary about Harrison’s life, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.”
Click on the slideshow to see items included in Bonham’s Entertainment Memorabilia sale on December 12.