John Lennon lyrics might reach $500,000 at auction

John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics to “A Day in the Life” are going up for auction in May, with estimates of $500,000 being floated. Not all lyrics do as well as expected at auction, but as investors currently look to place their bets in places outside currency and property, I’d think this one should do well. The lyrics cover both sides of a sheet of paper, with edits and corrections, making it a fascinating object for people interested in the epic “Sgt Peppers” album.

But as someone noted on my Twitter account, maybe writers should not give up handwriting lyrics. Buying an iPhone or Asus netbook that once belonged to a writer does not have quite the same mystique as actual written lyrics. In fact, it wouldn’t even get that far, as we tend to either forget to back up or drop electronic hardware down the stairs.