John Lennon: Son auctions his father's collectibles as NFTs

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An NFT with Lennon's notes on the Beatles song "Hey Jude" alongside a jacket he wore during the "Magical Mystery Tour".

Photo: VALERIE MACON / AFP

Beatles fans won't be able to touch them - but they will soon be able to own personal John Lennon memorabilia in the form of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

His son Julian Lennon is auctioning off a digital version of the handwritten notes for the song "Hey Jude" in the USA next month.

In the NFT version, the words gradually appear on the page and are accompanied by an audio commentary by Julian.

The song was originally called "Hey Jules" and was written by Paul McCartney in 1968 to comfort young Julian during his father's separation from his mother Cynthia.

The price of the digital collector's item is estimated at up to 70,000 dollars (62,000 euros).

Lennon is also selling an NFT of the Afghan coat his father wore while filming Magical Mystery Tour, which could fetch up to $10,000.

Also for sale is an NFT of the black robe worn by John Lennon in the film Help, as well as likenesses of three guitars, including one that Julian Lennon received from his father for Christmas.

Part of the sales proceeds will go to a foundation set up by Julian Lennon and will be used to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere to slow down global warming.

Lennon works as a musician and photographer himself.

Like cryptocurrencies, the NFT system is based on blockchain technology.

In contrast to cryptocurrencies, however, a non-fungible token is unique and, to a certain extent, a digital collector's item that can be sold or exchanged using a certificate.

A real hype had broken out about NFTs in the past few months, with collectors paying millions for digital paintings, music and videos.

ime/AFP