The Penguin John Lennon Signed Book 1973

Hi everyone! I bought this John Lennon signed book about 9 years ago. I posted it here on AML back then. At that time, I think everyone who commented on it said it was absolutely authentic. It also came with an LOA from Beatles super collector GARY HEIN back in 1999. I believe Gary was a very highly-respected Beatles collector who owned Hein’s Rare Collectibles. I think he even contributed to articles on Beatles autographs.

Last year, I put it up for sale on eBay, and I did a Quick Opinion with Beckett. Becket returned a judgement of “LIKELY TO PASS FULL AUTHENTICATION”. I decided to hold on to it and took it off eBay. Well just last week I reposted it on eBay. I received an offer, but then the potential buyer stated he did a Beckett Quick Opinion and it came back, “UNLIKELY TO PASS FULL AUTHENTICATION”.

So what do you all think? Personally, I think this is CLEARLY AUTHENTIC. I’d also like to know who does Beckett Quick Opinions because I think sometimes they are young part-time employees who sometimes error on the side of caution. BUT MISTAKES LIKE THIS REALLY HURT SELLERS who are selling authentic items. I’m pretty sure that if I sent this in for Full Authentication, it would easily pass. But in the meantime Beckett just ruined a sale for me.

So is this authentic like I believe? And why did Beckett return “Likely To Pass” to me, but “Unlikeky To Pass” to someone else? It’s very frustrating.

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Permalink Reply by James on December 30, 2025 at 3:24pm

Thanks, Raul.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Cushman on December 31, 2025 at 6:20am

This has been around for quite a while...I once held this in my hands in Boston...It's legit.

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Permalink Reply by James on January 3, 2026 at 2:08am

Oh wow, small world! In fact, I believe I purchased it from a guy in Massachusetts if I remember right. I think I bought in 2016 or 2017.

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Permalink Reply by JK on December 31, 2025 at 6:48am

Why not just get a formal authentication (a letter, not a sticker), instead of relying on Quick Opinions?

QOs are based on a quick review, and the ones I've seen state that they are not to be used to promote the authenticity of an item being sold.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on December 31, 2025 at 7:53am

+1 Never buy on the "strength" of a QO. Knowledge and experience can't be beat. And yes, no sticker!

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Permalink Reply by James on January 3, 2026 at 2:29am

Well, I’ve actually got a “formal” letter of authenticity from Gary Hein which SHOULD carry more weight than a letter from PSA or JSA because Gary Hein was very highly-regarded as one of the country’s leading authorities on Beatles Autographs and memorabilia, ands that’s according to Perry Cox.

Upon Gary’s passing in 2022, Perry Cox wrote: “ Gary Hein left an indelible mark on the world of collecting Beatles records and memorabilia. He literally had the highest public profile of us all in the business. His name was everywhere: newspapers, magazines, websites... conventions! Everywhere indeed! He carried a strong sense of style and charisma for dealing with the public more than anyone else among us that I know. (The Johnson Brothers at Rockaway Records would also share that award.)

His knowledge of all things Beatles was vast and forever growing.”

Gary Hein also wrote the foreword to one of Perry Cox’s books on Beatles Autographs.