Would You Buy a $5,600 Tie?

One day, back in 1962, the Beatles were playing The Cavern Club, John Lennon took off his tie, autographed it and handed it to a fan. Back then, the tie probably cost about $5.00 American. Well, the fan, Joyce McWilliams, decided it was time to auction off that keepsake. While she won't be able to retire on what she made, it's still a tidy sum for an off-the-rack tie.

McWilliams gave some of the details about how she came to be in possession of the valuable neck wear:

"The Beatles were recording some numbers and I was sitting on the edge of the stage holding the microphone stand," explained the seller, Joyce McWilliams. "It was very hot in the club and John asked me to lend him a handkerchief to mop his brow with. He handed it back to me, and loosened his tie when I said: 'I thought you were going to give me your tie,' and he just handed it to me."

McWilliams' mom, not knowing that in a few years the world would be turned upside down by Lennon and the Beatles, washed the handkerchief! Needless to say, McWilliams was devastated by the act.

You gotta love the picture of Mr. Imagine No Possessions behind the wheel of his Rolls Royce. Opps! Did I just editorialize?