LENNON CONNECTION: The NFT Collection
JULIAN LENNON, YELLOWHEART AND JULIEN’S AUCTIONS ANNOUNCE “LENNON CONNECTION: THE NFT COLLECTION”
AN EXCLUSIVE NFT AUCTION FEATURING CHERISHED BEATLES AND JOHN LENNON MEMORABILIA, FROM THE PRIVATECOLLECTION OF JULIAN LENNON
NFT offerings include “Hey Jude” Notes Written by Paul McCartney, Help! Cape and Magical Mystery Tour Afghan Coat worn by John Lennon and Gibson Les Paul Guitars Given to his Son, the GRAMMY Nominated Singer/Songwriter, Bestselling Author, Philanthropist and Fine Art Photographer, Julian Lennon
First Ever All NFT Event from World Record-Breaking Auction House to the Stars Julien’s Auctions
A Portion of Proceeds to Benefit The White Feather Foundation
Monday, February 7th, 2022
Los Angeles, California – (January 24, 2022) – YellowHeart, the NFT marketplace for music, ticketing and community tokens, and Julien’s Auctions announced today “Lennon Connection: The NFT Collection,” an exclusive auction presenting NFTs of Julian Lennon’s private collection of Beatles iconography and historic personal items from his father John Lennon. In this first of its kind event, the multi-faceted entrepreneur has curated a selection of rare and meaningful pieces from his intimate collection. This first drop consists of items of his father’s as well as gifts and memorabilia from his own life and childhood.
This once-in-a-lifetime event offers art and music collectors, as well as cryptocurrency investors, a chance to own a piece of pop culture and Beatlemania history. In this momentous explosion of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) in the art and auction world, the first-ever all NFT auction mounted by Julien’s Auctions, will be held live in Beverly Hills and online at juliensauctions.com on Monday, February 7, 2022.
Heading to the blockchain will be special NFTs of iconic pieces from one of the most storied father and son relationships in rock and roll history – John and Julian Lennon. Each deeply personal keepsake, symbolizing the connection between father and son, will be offered as an audio/visual collectible. Each item is narrated by Julian personally with a specific heartfelt memory. These are the first NFT items to come up for auction from the GRAMMY Nominated singer/songwriter, multi-faceted artist and humanitarian Julian Lennon.
“As an artist, I have great respect for all that my father accomplished in his career. As a son, I hold dear the good memories I have of my time with him. I feel incredibly lucky to live in a day and age where innovation allows me to share such personal pieces of my Lennon family history. Through this NFT collection, I’m able to grant exclusive access to special items that I cherish and carry on the legacy of my father in a new way,” said Julian Lennon.
“Julian is a true entrepreneur at his core who embraces new technology as a channel for creators of all kinds to present art in innovative ways and also as a means to give back. This first drop of the collection represents his undeniable connection with his father and the Lennon family legacy while inviting collectors to join this community with him,” said Rebecca Warfield, Founder/CEO of Chicane Group and Lennon’s manager. “Throughout the years, he has reflected on various ways to display and share this special and intimate collection with fans. The NFT marketplace allows for just that and for collectors to own the only NFTs associated with Julian’s cherished pieces is beyond special.”
These NFT offerings are a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on the blockchain. Each piece is a 1 of 1 Edition. The auction presents collectors a chance to join this new developing Lennon Connection NFT community that is shared with Lennon, who owns the one and only physical counterpart.
A portion of the sale proceeds from this NFT collection will benefit The White Feather Foundation (TWFF), which will use the funds to purchase carbon removal from Nori in the form of Nori Carbon Removal Tonnes (NRTs). Each NRT represents one tonne of CO2-equivalent heat-trapping gas that has been removed from our atmosphere and stored in a terrestrial, subsurface, industrial or aquatic reservoir. Nori currently achieves this by working with farmers across the United States to adapt regenerative practices that increase carbon removal and sequestration. Once the carbon removal purchases have been made, TWFF will make public the Nori certificate of carbon removal which provides all information regarding the carbon removal transaction.
In their shared commitment to minimize environmental impacts while providing NFTs of the highest caliber, YellowHeart’s platform exists on what is called “Second Layer” and “proof of stake,” which does not have the energy consumption of first layer Ethereum networks used by many providers.
Highlights include (with estimates):
“Hey Jude” Notes written by Paul McCartney
1:1 NFT (starting at $30,000) The 1968 Beatles’ masterpiece is frequently included on music lists of the greatest songs of all time. The first song released on the Beatles’ own Apple Records label, “Hey Jude,” originally titled “Hey Jules,” was written for Julian Lennon by Paul McCartney to comfort him during the time of his parents John and Cynthia Lennon’s divorce. The classic was the Beatles’ biggest-selling single in the U.S., having sold five million copies in the first six months of its release and became the number one song in 12 countries. Paul separated how he thought the song should be structured into four sections, with voices and instruments. These are his original notes, which include his personal doodles and drawings.
Afghan Coat from Magical Mystery Tour
1:1 NFT (starting at $6,000) Four-year-old Julian was present on the set of the film Magical Mystery Tour, where his father John Lennon often wore this coat sometimes paired with pinstripe trousers and jewelry. Though very young at the time, he remembers the experience as “a bit crazy.” John also wore the coat at the launch party for the iconic album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Gibson Les Paul Guitar Copy
Gifted by John Lennon to Julian Lennon 1:1 NFT (starting at $4,000) A Christmas gift from his father, Julian has played this Gibson Les Paul copy guitar on many occasions, but never publicly because it is too precious to him. “I never used it on record, but I probably wrote a few tunes on it. In my eyes, it was, and still is, the most beautiful guitar,” said Lennon.
Gibson Les Paul 25/50 Guitar
Gifted by John Lennon to Julian Lennon 1:1 NFT (starting at $4,000) This special-order rare 25/50 model was launched to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Les Paul model guitar and the 50th anniversary of Les Paul’s career in music. A gift to Julian from John, this guitar was one that John used to teach Julian chords on and help improve hi splaying techniques when he would visit.
Gibson 1959 Guitar
Gifted by John Lennon to Julian Lennon 1:1 NFT (starting at $4,000) Used in some of Julian’s earliest performances at Kingsmead School in Hoylake, this was one of his favorite guitars because it had a short neck and was easier to play. A gift from his father, it holds a special place in his collection.
Black Cape Worn by John Lennon from the movie Help!
1:1 NFT (starting at $8,000) Though Julian was too young to have memories of this time, his mother Cynthia recalled how she and John learned how to ski in Austria during the film shoot for Help! This black cape was worn by John in the movie’s scenes filmed in the Alps.
The auction will open for bidding January 24 and commence in real time and in lot order for live bidding at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 7th, 2022.
“We are honored to be partnering with Julian Lennon and the acclaimed Julien’s Auctions on this exclusive NFT collection highlighting some of Julian Lennon’s most cherished personal memorabilia and the father-and-son history and connection behind them,” said Josh Katz, CEO and Founder of YellowHeart. “As a lifelong music fan, it is an absolute thrill to collaborate with Julian Lennon on this collection which will for the first time ever provide fans with the opportunity to access some of Julian’s most memorable private family items. We are also excited to be teaming up with Julien’s Auctions, already highly respected worldwide for their incredible Beatles iconography, on what will be their inaugural NFT auction for these remarkable items, and we are looking forward to jointly offering fans a truly unique way to experience these historic items.”
Julien’s Auctions has broken world records with the sale of Beatles memorabilia including John Lennon’s acoustic guitar which sold for a record $2.4 million, Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit which sold for a record $2.2 million, The Ludwig Beatles Ed Sullivan Show drumhead which sold for a record price of $2.1 million, Paul McCartney’s handwritten lyrics to “Hey Jude,” used in studio for its recording at Trident Studios, London in July 1968 which sold for $910,000, and The Beatles White Album owned by Ringo Starr that sold for $790,000. This auction furthers the world record breaking auction house to the stars’ entry into digital art sales.
“Julien’s Auctions is honored to build on our rich legacy of Beatles iconography auctions in our inaugural all NFT event with Julian Lennon. We are proud to partner with Julian who’s offering these one-of-a-kind NFT collectibles of his extraordinary personal collection of John Lennon’s artifacts used during his time as a Beatle and the special time they spent together as father and son,” said Darren Julien, President/Chief Executive Officer of Julien’s Auctions. “Added to our excitement is our collaboration with YellowHeart, whose leadership in this marketplace fully launches Julien’s exciting and bold new chapter into the blockchain and NFT stratosphere.”
Julian Lennon’s sensitive and poetic vision of life courses through his acclaimed music, photography and writing. His debut, Valotte (Atlantic), yielded two top ten hits—the title track and “Too Late for Goodbyes”—and was nominated for a Grammy for “Best New Artist.” He went on to have #1 singles on the U.S. album rock charts and one of his most popular songs, “Saltwater” charted successfully around the world, topping in Australia for four weeks and reaching #6 in the U.K. In 2022, Lennon returns with a new album (BMG), featuring a personal and powerful array of songs that reflect relatable, universal themes. An acclaimed fine arts photographer, Lennon has exhibited in galleries worldwide since 2010. In 2021, he partnered with Portia de Rossi’s General Public and RH to present a special collection, which is available now. As the Founder of The White Feather Foundation, Lennon has received numerous humanitarian awards, most recently the 2021 World Literacy Award for his significant contribution to literacy. He is also a New York Times bestselling author, with four children’s books, all with environmental themes, in his current repertoire.
About YellowHeart:
Founded in 2017 by NYC-based music blockchain innovator and leader Josh Katz, YellowHeart is the leading NFT marketplace for music NFTs, tickets, community tokens and more, working with artists such as the Kings of Leon, Maroon 5, the late XXXTentacion, Brandi Carlile, ZHU, Burnley F.C., and more.
Sitting at the intersection of what has happened to cryptocurrency and what is happening to art and ticketing, YellowHeart is taking the blockchain’s power to bulldoze the norms of selling tickets and art by creating an asset class that recognizes that buyers need a mechanism to irrevocably trace the provenance of a tradeable item, and creators should get paid a portion of all future profits derived from trading the work they created. https://yh.io/
About The White Feather Foundation
Established in 2007 by Julian Lennon, The White Feather Foundation brings awareness to worthy organizations by amplifying their voices, expanding their supporter communities and providing funding for their initiatives. This is achieved through the support of projects across theglobe that foster education and good health; preserve Indigenous cultures; sustain our environment and give access to clean water for the conservation of life. For more information: whitefeatherfoundation.com
Online Auction LIVE NOW: “Lennon: Connection: The NFT Collection”
Closing Monday, February 7th, 2022
LIVE Session I: 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time
For more information please email – [email protected] or call 310-836-1818.
REGISTERING TO BID
Registration is required to bid in this live and online auction and can be done online before the sale at the JuliensAuctions.com Registration page to bid by phone, proxy or in person, or online at JuliensLive.com to bid live online, or by calling (310) 836-1818.
PLACING BIDS
There are four ways to bid online in Live Auctions:
1. Bid with Julien’s Auctions online and live in real time at JuliensLive.com or via our iPhone App.
2. Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative.
3. Bid in person in the room at our auction events
4. Bid in advance by absentee bid. Absentee bid forms are printed in the back of each catalogue, and are also available by calling Julien’s Auctions or online by visiting
www.juliensauctions.com/register-to-bid.
ABOUT JULIEN’S AUCTIONS
Julien’s Auctions is the world record-breaking auction house to the stars. Collaborating with the famous and the exclusive, Julien’s Auctions produces high profile auctions in the film, music, sports and art markets. Julien’s Auctions has received international recognition for its unique and innovative auction events, which attract thousands of collectors, investors, fans and enthusiasts from around the world. Julien’s Auctions specializes in sales of iconic artifacts and notable collections including Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Lady Gaga, Banksy, Cher, Michael Jackson, U2, Barbra Streisand, Les Paul, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Hugh Hefner and many more.
In 2016, Julien’s Auctions received its second placement in the Guinness Book of World Records for the sale of the world’s most expensive dress ever sold at auction, The Marilyn Monroe “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress which sold for $4.8 million. Julien’s Auctions achieved placement in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009 for the sale of Michael Jackson’s white glove, which sold for $480,000 making it the most expensive glove ever sold at auction. In 2020, Julien’s Auctions received its third Guinness Book of World Record placement for the sale of Kurt Cobain’s “MTV Unplugged” 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar, which sold for $6 million making it the world’s most expensive guitar ever sold at auction. Based in Los Angeles, Julien’s Auctions has a global presence bringing their auctions and exhibitions to targeted destinations worldwide including London, New York, Las Vegas, Japan and China. Live auctions are presented for bidders on-site and online via live streaming video and mobile technology. For more information on Julien’s Auctions, go to www.juliensauctions.com. Connect with Julien’s Auctions at www.facebook.com/JuliensAuctions or www.twitter.com/JuliensAuctions or www.instagram.com/juliens_auctions.
PRESS CONTACT
Mozell Miley-Bailey for Julien’s Auctions
(646) 653-3105
Aliza Rabinoff/DKC for YellowHeart
