July 9, 2011 - 11:10 AMT
Guitars played by Lennon, Presley to be auctioned late July

A 1967 Gibson J-160E Sunburst acoustic-electric guitar bought by John Lennon and later gifted by Lennon to Bob Dylan is expected to bring $200,000+ as the undisputed centerpiece of Heritage Auctions July 29 Signature® Music & Entertainment Auction, artdaily reports.

Lennon played and wrote songs on this beautiful Gibson during the period of the famous Beatles retreat with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India, and later gave to Bob Dylan, who wrote, recorded and toured with the guitar himself.

Lennon and Dylan are not the only Rock n' Roll royalty represented in the Heritage July auction. In fact, Heritage is offering two guitars that were owned and played by the King himself: Elvis Presley's stunning stage-used 1953 Martin 00-21 acoustic guitar (estimate: $75,000+), which the King gifted to actor and Hawaii Five-O star Jack Lord in the early 1970s, and Elvis' stage-used 1972 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar (estimate: $30,000+).

Hollywood royalty is well-represented in the auction in a variety of lots, with several prime standouts, including Marilyn Monroe's signed Home Town Story contract, estimated at $10,000.