Lennon piano sale eclipses Beatles memorabilia records

John Lennon's piano which was used to compose songs for the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album has set the record for the most expensive piece of Beatles memorabilia ever sold.

The Broadwood upright piano fetched nearly $3,247,000 ($A4.6 million) when it went under the hammer on Thursday at Christie's New York auction house.

It was sold as part of The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame, with drumming equipment belonging to fellow Beatle Sir Ringo Starr also among the record-breaking sales or music, film and sports memorabilia.

The piano belonging to Lennon was used to write songs such as Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, A Day In The Life, and Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!, featured on the Beatles' eighth studio album.

The instrument was estimated to fetch between $US400,000 and $US600,000 ($A565,000 and $A850,000) but instead sold for $3,247,000 ($A4.6 million), setting the record as the most expensive object from the group to be sold.

Lennon died in 1980, aged 40.

Formed in the 1960s, the Beatles, the best-selling musical act of all time and made up of Lennon, Sir Ringo, Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison, achieved 18 UK number one singles and 15 UK number one albums.

Items belonging to the bands' drummer Sir Ringo were also up for sale including his first Ludwig drum kit, which was used in live performances and studio sessions with the band in its early years from May 1963 to February 1964.

The three-piece drum kit sold for $2,393,000 ($A3.4 million) and briefly broke the record for the most expensive drum set sold, until a drum head which was part of his second Ludwig kit sold in the next lot for $2,881,000 ($A4.1 million).

The drum head was used during the Beatles' first visit to America when the group performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and also set the record as the most expensive item belonging to Sir Ringo to be sold.

A series of photographs, handwritten letters and signed postcards from Lennon were also among the items in the sale, as well as an affidavit filed by his bandmate Sir Paul to break up the hit band.

Also among the items for sale was memorabilia from American musician Kurt Cobain, the founder of grunge band Nirvana.

The Fender Mustang guitar used in the music video for the group's hit song Smells Like Teen Spirit became the most expensive item belonging to the late singer to be sold, fetching 6,907,000 dollars (£5,209,811 ($A9.8 million)) at the auction.

A series of items belonging to The Doors late frontman Jim Morrison was up for sale, as well as handwritten lyrics for singer Bob Dylan's hit track The Times They Are A-Changin' - which sold for 2,515,000 dollars (£1,897,368 ($A3.6 million)).

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's 'Black Strat' (Fender Stratocaster) was also among the record-breaking sales, fetching 14,550,000 dollars (£10,978,629 ($A21 million)) and becoming the most expensive guitar sold.

The president of Christie's Americas, Julien Pradels, said: "Lot after lot, we felt like we were making history.

"The Irsay sale did justice to the brilliance of the collector, and of the monumental pieces he brought together, iconic objects that tell the story of our culture and our times.

"The Irsay collection is singular, but Christie's will have other amazing sales in this space moving forward."