John Lennon guitar sells for $2.9m, breaking Beatles auction record

Lennon’s 12-string Hootenanny, heard on Help! album and film, had not been seen or played for half a century

A guitar used by John Lennon has sold for $2.9m (£2.3m), setting what organisers have called a new world record for the highest-selling guitar at auction in Beatles history.

The 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar, used in the recording of the Beatles’ 1965 Help! album and film, had not been seen or played for more than 50 years.