LONDON - Legendary guitars, iconic glasses and handwritten lyrics from some of the biggest names in music are going under the hammer at a London auction this week.
Taking centre stage is Noel Gallagher's cherry-red Gibson guitar, damaged by his brother Liam during a backstage brawl the night Oasis broke up at the height of their fame in 2009.
Reflecting on the row, Noel later told reporters in 2011 that a furious Liam had stormed into the dressing room with the guitar, which he was "wielding like an axe".
"It's historic. If you're an Oasis fan, you look at that guitar and you immediately know what it is," music specialist Mark Hochman told AFP at memorabilia specialist Propstore's auction preview.
"It caused the break-up of the band. Liam smashed it. Noel got in a taxi, and that was it for 16 years," he added.
In 2022, the repaired Gibson was sold for 385,000 euros ($445,000) at an auction in Paris.
But with the British supergroup now in the middle of a record-breaking comeback tour, the instrument is currently expected to fetch up to £500,000 ($668,300).
Noel's Takamine acoustic guitar, used to record the hit song "Wonderwall", will also go on the auction block during the sale on Friday and Saturday.
From the wider sale, a pair of glasses worn by John Lennon during his infamous "Lost Weekend" period over 18 months in Los Angeles in the early 1970s is expected to sell for as much as £300,000.
The circular, orange-tinted glasses are one of the most recognisable personal items ever owned by the Beatles star.
"These particular glasses are the most historic and provenanced of any John Lennon glasses to come to market, and that's what makes them so valuable," said Hochman.