Hendrix guitar sells for $168,000 at auction

A wealth of classic rock memorabilia from some of the most influential musicians of the 20th century were sold at auction at Christies in New York on Monday.

Jimi Hendrix's guitar, a 1968 Fender Stratocaster with a sunburst finish that was modified to accommodate his left-handed use, sold for $168,000, well above its pre-sale estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It has been kept at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland since the museum's opening in 1996. The winning bidder was Bill Butler - a Texas bookstore owner. Butler also won the guitar's strap for $10,800 and a photograph of Hendrix and band members Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell framed by two topless blondes for $5,400.

A set of hand-written Beatles lyrics - an early version of 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' - penned by Sir Paul McCartney, fetched $192,000.

Other Beatles memorabilia sold included a taped interview with the late John Lennon from 1974, which sold for almost $40,000. On it, he talked about his song-writing technique and a possible Beatles reunion.

Other big sellers included a notebook containing handwritten lyrics by reggae star Bob Marley, which went for $72,000, and a handwritten poem by Doors singer Jim Morrison, "The American Night," which was sold for $50,400. Both went to private collectors in the United States. Prices included buyer's premiums.

Disappointingly for Britney Spears, a page from her school book was also sold but at a price of just $200.
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