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Beatles Autographs Forged by John Lennon up for Auction

Erol Onel

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As the vice president of Heron Therapeutics, Erol Onel, MD, helps develop the company’s clinical strategy and plan. In terms of hobbies, one of Erol Onel’s favorite bands of all time is The Beatles.

An autographed newspaper featuring one authentic Beatles signature and three forgeries is expected to sell at auction for £1,500. While John Lennon signed his name to the paper, he also signed for Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison.

The autographs, over a photo of the Beatles crowning a local Carnival Queen in Northwich, Cheshire, was requested by the photographer, Les Goode. Goode thought nothing of it when he received the newspaper back, with all four signatures scrawled over his photo. It was not until Goode’s death that his wife took the autographs to experts, hoping to sell the newspaper at auction.

The widow was in for a shock when experts verified that all four signatures were written by the same hand, Lennon's. Fortunately, although three of the four signatures are technically fakes, the fact that John Lennon forged them means the signatures are still about as valuable as they would be if all four were authentic.