But the sunglasses have no lenses because Junishi poked them out on the day the former Beatle died in 1980, in accordance with his religious beliefs.

John Warner, Sales & Marketing Director for the website said: "The response has been phenomenal. Our phones have been in meltdown since the announcement of the auction on Thursday with a ferocious bidding war breaking out around the globe."

The musician wore the glasses on the Beatles’ tour of Japan in June 1966, when the band were at the height of their fame.

But they were forced to remain virtual prisoners in their Tokyo hotel when religious fanatics protested against them being allowed to play at the sacred site of Budokan.

At the end of their fifth and final Budokan concert, John and interpreter Junishi exchanged gifts as is custom in Japan. John received a set of traditional copper cups in exchange for his sunglasses.

The auction is set to close at the end of the month.


Village hosts festival for Lennon - May 21 2007
A tiny village where John Lennon spent his holidays is to host a major festival in his honour.

The John Lennon Northern Lights Festival will be held in Durness in the Highlands later this year.

The three-day event will be attended by musicians, painters and poets, as well as several members of the former Beatle’s family.

Organisers said today it would be "one of the most extraordinary festivals ever to be staged in the country".

Lennon was greatly inspired by Durness, where he holidayed as a child.

He returned with wife Yoko Ono, son Julian and Yoko’s daughter Kyoko in 1969.

The 1,100 tickets for the September 28-30 festival go on sale today.

Artists include Master of the Queen’s Music Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who will present a world premiere of a Beatles Prom with the Royal Academy of Music.

Chart toppers Nizlopi, who had the No 1 hit The JCB Song, will perform, and painter Peter Howson will stage a Lennon exhibition.

Poets John Cooper Clarke, Carol Ann Duffy and Michael Horovitz are also taking part.

A dance event in Britain’s biggest sea cave, and a mobile cinema screening Beatles films are among the other highlights.

John Lennon’s half-sister, Julia Baird, and his cousin Stan Parkes will speak about their famous relative at the festival.

Ms Baird said: "I am delighted to be involved in what is a high quality event which has taste and respect at its core."

Tickets can be purchased from www.northhighlandsscotland.com/festival.

Lennon’s piano displayed at JFK site - Nov 24 2006
The piano on which John Lennon wrote Imagine was displayed at the site where John F Kennedy was gunned down on the 43rd anniversary of the American President’s assassination.

The instrument, which is owned by pop star George Michael, was photographed at the famous "grassy knoll" in Dealey Plaza, Dallas.

It was flown to the US to be the centrepiece of an anti-war exhibition opening next month at a gallery in the city owned by Michael’s partner Kenny Goss.

At 12.30pm yesterday, the time that President Kennedy was shot as his motorcade swept past in Elm Street, it was briefly unveiled in front of around 300 people at the site to mark the anniversary.

George and Kenny plan to have the piano photographed at other significant sites to help spread their pro-peace message.

Barbara Buzzell, spokeswoman for the Goss Gallery, said: "It was about the juxtaposition of the violence of Kennedy’s assassination and the peace message of the song Imagine, which was written on the piano.