JOHN JACKET DISCOVERED IN LEICESTERSHIRE

Consigned to Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers in Derbyshire is a jacket with a difference. Dating to the late 1960s, this teal blue jacket was owned and worn by one of Britain’s most influential musicians, singers and songwriters, John Lennon.The iconic jacket was discovered in a Leicestershire home, and was once the property of Jo Jo Johns, PA to the Beatles. Jo Jo Johns worked at their offices at 3 Savile Row from 1968 – 1975. One of Jo Jo’s jobs was to clear out John’s house following his 1971 move to America. In the early 1970s, Jo Jo Johns gifted the jacket to her friend Anthony Goddard in Leicestershire.

John lived at Tittenhurst Park in Ascot from 1969 until August 1971, when he embarked for America, a journey from which he would never return. Tittenhurst was the place in which John penned his magnificent ‘Imagine’ in the famed ‘white room.’ He also recorded his second solo album of the same title, and created two films at this beautiful Georgian manor house. When he left the property, he left behind nearly all of his possessions, leaving Jo Jo to either discard or give away his belongings. Tony Goddard commented “the jacket was given to me at one of my birthday parties in the early 1970s, Jo Jo was a good friend and she had acquired a lot of abandoned belonging from the band members. Jo Jo did have John Lennon’s Radford Mini which was destgroyed by her partner Jeremy Sumner in a motor accident. Jo Jo also had Lennon’s round bath for a time.” 

The teal blue jacket has previously been on display at Mr Goddard’s home for over 25 years, but is now for sale in the hope of delighting a fellow Beatles fan. The piece is entirely resonant of the Sgt. Pepper conceptual album released in 1967, ¾ length, with a mandarin collar, and a slight flare to the sleeves, anticipating the more flamboyant styles donned into the 1970s. 

The jacket shows slight signs of wear such as a small tear on the left sleeve, “there is no doubt in my mind that this jacket was well worn by John in the late 1960s,” stated Charles Hanson, manager of Hansons Auctioneers, and as seen on BBC1s Bargain Hunt, “One wonders whether DNA may still be evident on the garment.”The jacket was bought along to a valuation evening in Market Harborough earlier in the year, “Once the vendor had explained the story and provenance behind this piece,” stated junior valuer Elizabeth Bailey “the whole room dropped into a stunned silence. It is remarkable what fantastic objects can still be found in homes up and down the country”

The jacket with statement of provenance is estimated to fetch £8,000-£12,000, and it is sure to ignite the interest of Beatles fans worldwide. “The piece would be a brilliant investment,” stated Hansons’ music and memorabilia consultant Claire Howell, “The Beatles not only defined the sound of the 60s and 70s, but the style, culture and attitude. The jacket is a piece of history and a remarkable opportunity to own a piece worn and kept by one of Britain’s most famed and inspirational individuals.” John Lennon MBE (1940-1980) was born and raised in Liverpool. As a founding member of the Beatles he formed a song writing partnership with Paul McCartney that is the most celebrated of the 20th Century.  In 2002, a BBc poll voted Lennon 8th in the ‘100 Greatest Britons.'The jacket, accompanied with a comprehensive statement of provenance, will go to auction at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire on Thursday 22nd August. 

That Hippie Penny Lane