A guitar given away by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page as a competition prize more than 50 years ago could sell for £50,000 when it comes up for auction. The 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 electric guitar was the prize in a competition run by New Musical Express magazine.
The magazine's cover featured a photograph of Jimmy Page in cricket whites holding the guitar like a cricket bat. In an interview for the magazine, Page said he bought the guitar in Nashville, USA, for £200 in 1972.
Expected to fetch £50,000
It is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £50,000 when auctioned at Gardiner Houlgate in Corsham, Wiltshire, on September 9. Competition entrants had to match six guitars with the famous guitarists who owned them.
The correct entry selected as the winner was from Charles Reid of Hornsey, north London. Mr Reid was quoted as saying: "Page must be mental giving away such a terrific guitar as this."
Winner kept guitar for decades
"It's the kind of instrument that every guitar player dreams of owning but can never really afford," Mr Reid added. Mr Reid kept the guitar until September 1990 when he sold it to Phil O'Donoghue, of Chessington, Surrey, for £2,000.
Mr O'Donoghue, a guitarist with the 1970s rock band Wild Angels, kept the instrument until his death earlier this year. The guitar is now being sold by Mr O'Donoghue's family.
Legendary guitarist's rare instrument
Auctioneer Luke Hobbs said: "It's no exaggeration to say that Jimmy Page is a legendary guitarist and rock star. Very few of his guitars come up for auction and when they do, they attract huge interest from collectors, investors and fans of Led Zeppelin."
"What's so wonderful about this guitar is that we have the copies of the New Musical Express showing the competition and even a photo of Page giving the guitar to the winner, Charles Reid," Hobbs added. The guitar is being sold with original copies of New Musical Express - now known as the NME - receipts and correspondence.
Led Zeppelin's lasting legacy
Page was the founder of British rock band Led Zeppelin. Formed in 1968, their popularity and influence grew to the point that the band was named by Rolling Stone magazine as "the biggest band of the seventies".
Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
