New Delhi :
The earliest known letter penned by John Lennon when he was 11 years old is expected to fetch over 30,000 pounds at auction of Beatles and music memorabilia next month.
The fold-out note thanks his Aunt Harriet for presents she gave him, including a book about ships. He sent the thank you message shortly after Christmas in 1951 to his mother Julia’s younger sister. During his Beatles career, Lennon often wrote to friends and family but this is understood to be his first letter.
In the letter, which has a few grammatical errors, the young Lennon says how much he is enjoying reading a book about famous ships.
He wrote: “Dear Harrie Thankyou for the book that you sent to me for Christmas and for the towel with my name on it, And I think it is the best towl (sic) I’ve ever seen.
“The book that you sent to me is a very interesting one. I am at the bottom of page 18 at the moment. The story is famous Ships its all about a man called Captain kidd the pirate.
“I am on the second chapter, the first chapter is called the Victory and the second is called the Mary Celeste. “Thankyou for the red jumper that you sent to me. “I hope you have a happy new year. Love from John x”.
The letter - which was formerly the property of his cousin David Birch, Harriet’s son - is to be sold at an online auction that closes on April 3, the BBC reported.
The auction contains around 300 lots of Beatles and music memorabilia, including the address book from Liverpool’s Cavern Club where the group played many gigs, and a collection of records that were previously owned by Lennon.
Last month, a lock of hair snipped from the head of Lennon 50 years ago as he prepared for a film role was bought by a British collector for USD 35,000.
Lennon, English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the band the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. Lennon, 40, was shot dead in New York in 1980.
