Autograph collection containing rare self-portrait of John Lennon sells for £55k at Bristol auction

A collection of seven thousand autographs, including a self-portrait of Beatles guitarist John Lennon and Yoko Ono, has sold for more than £55 thousand at a Bristol auction house.

The items belonged to Dutchman Jan van Bree, who started collecting in 1957 after he wrote to Italian singer Beniamino Gigli and received a handwritten reply. Van Bree went on to collect signatures from celebrities across the world by writing them letters, waiting outside theatres and buying historical autographs.

The collection, which auctioneers have described as 'the best they've ever seen,' includes signed cheques, programmes, and letters.

Andrew Stowe of Auctioneum, which sells across Bristol and Bath, said: "I was awestruck." The Lennon and Ono sketch was drawn during the couple's 1969 'bed-in' anti-war protest.  

"It’s the sheer variety of Jan’s collection that makes it so special," Andrew added.

"We’ve got autographs from all areas of history, entertainment and political figures. We’ve got sixteenth century royalty alongside Black Sabbath, John Steinbeck alongside Laurel and Hardy. "It’s a comprehensive ‘who’s who’ of famous signatures". 

Van Bree stored most of his collection in albums but also kept hundreds loose.

He died in April 2024 and the collection was put up for sale by his family.

Source: ITV News