When we first learned that Bruce Springsteen's original handwritten lyrics for "Born to Run" were going up for auction, the folks at Sotheby's expected the manuscript to go for $70,000 to $100,000. Today (December 5), the lyrics were sold, and they fetched twice that expected amount.
The paper sold for a whopping $197,000 in New York, with bids coming in online, over the phone and from folks in person.
As previously reported, the lyric sheet dates back to 1974, from the year before the song's release in 1975. Some of the words made it into the final song, but many of them were edited and rewritten. The sheet was in the possession of Springsteen's manager at the time, Mike Appel, who sold it to a collection, who then sold it to the auction winner.
Forbes notes that other items sold at the auction included a handwritten letter from John Lennon that went for $18,000 and a series of letters from Mick Jagger that sold for $8,000.
In related news, a handwritten draft of Bob Dylan's 1965 classic "Mr. Tambourine Man" will go under the gavel tomorrow (December 6) at Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles. This is apparently expected to fetch between $80,000 and $100,000.
The paper sold for a whopping $197,000 in New York, with bids coming in online, over the phone and from folks in person.
As previously reported, the lyric sheet dates back to 1974, from the year before the song's release in 1975. Some of the words made it into the final song, but many of them were edited and rewritten. The sheet was in the possession of Springsteen's manager at the time, Mike Appel, who sold it to a collection, who then sold it to the auction winner.
Forbes notes that other items sold at the auction included a handwritten letter from John Lennon that went for $18,000 and a series of letters from Mick Jagger that sold for $8,000.
In related news, a handwritten draft of Bob Dylan's 1965 classic "Mr. Tambourine Man" will go under the gavel tomorrow (December 6) at Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles. This is apparently expected to fetch between $80,000 and $100,000.