JOHN LENNON's ICONIC 'LOST WEEKEND' GLASSES GOING UP FOR AUCTION

A highly recognizable piece of John Lennon’s personal history is about to hit the auction block. The tinted prescription glasses he wore during his 18-month stay in Los Angeles—dubbed the “Lost Weekend” from 1973 to 1975—are a star item in Propstore’s Music Memorabilia Live Auction. The event is being held in London, but global bidders are welcome.

Memorabilia and Estimated Value

These spectacles are considered among the most famous of Lennon’s personal effects. They are part of a larger sale that includes significant music artifacts, such as guitars, handwritten lyrics, and stage outfits, which collectively shaped musical generations. Experts at Propstore believe the glasses could fetch anywhere from $198,000 to $396,000, with the pre-auction press suggesting they could sell for nearly $400,000.

The Story Behind the Sale

Intriguingly, the glasses are coming to market due to a scuffle John Lennon had with Tom Smothers at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles.

Mark Hochman, Propstore’s Director of Music & Music Specialist, revealed that following the incident, Smothers’ wife retrieved the glasses.

She then held a party where guests were apparently thrilled to try on Lennon’s famous eyewear, demonstrating how revered he was by his contemporaries.

“There’s full photographic documentation that shows Lennon (with Harry Nilsson) entering the Troubadour on March 12th, 1974, enjoying himself inside the club wearing the glasses, and leaving without them,” Hochman added, confirming the timeline and the context of the item’s provenance.

The ‘Lost Weekend’ Context

The “Lost Weekend” period began after Lennon separated from his wife, Yoko Ono, whom he had married in 1969. At Ono’s urging, he started a relationship with his assistant, May Pang. Ono later explained in a 1980 interview that she “really needed some space” due to the intense public scrutiny they constantly faced, which had led to the loss of her freedom and suffering in her artwork. She felt sending him to LA would give her the time and space to think.

John, reflecting on that time shortly after it ended, told NME in 1975 that he felt like he had been “running around with me head off, and now I got me head back on.” He likened the separation to a year-long, “mad trip” that finally ended when he simply “came home” to Ono. He emphasized that the couple remained in constant contact and that their time apart, while causing pain, likely strengthened their nine-year relationship and seven-year marriage. They knew they would reconcile; it was just a matter of timing. Lennon and Ono remained married until his passing in 1980.

The two-day Music Memorabilia Auction will begin on October 23, 2025, with the first day featuring in-room bidding open to the public at The Cumberland Hotel.

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