‘It was like going around a brilliant Beatles museum’: inside Jim Irsay’s exceptional collection

Few bands hold the universally beloved status of The Beatles — and few fans have the opportunity to build a collection of the group’s most iconic objects and memorabilia. During his life, the late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay amassed one of the greatest collections of music, film and sports memorabilia and historic Americana ever assembled, including an unrivalled selection of more than 30 items connected to the Fab Four. On 12 March 2026, Christie’s will present The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame in New York, the first in a series of sales featuring his game-changing treasures.

Irsay’s holdings include famous guitars once owned by George Harrison and John Lennon, Ringo Starr’s drum kit and more indisputable pieces of music history. ‘This collection has been a revelation to me: I wasn’t aware that any one person had acquired so much high-end Beatles material,’ says Mark Lewisohn, an English historian, biographer and Beatles authority, who is currently working on The Beatles: All These Years, a biographical trilogy on the band. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an impressive gathering of Beatles instruments in one place as I did when I viewed highlights from the Jim Irsay Collection at Christie’s in London. It was like going around a brilliant Beatles museum.’

Below, Lewisohn discusses a few striking Beatles objects from the sale — and the fascinating stories behind them.

‘The importance of The Ed Sullivan Show on The Beatles’ legend cannot be overstated, particularly for American Beatles fans. It’s the single epochal moment when allegedly 73 million people tuned in to their debut performance for an American audience. This is a true one-off item.

‘By that time, Ringo Starr had had ‘The Beatles’ written on his drums only about a year. The famous design was drafted by Ivor Arbiter, owner of the London store Drum City, and after quick approval by Ringo it was painted on his drumhead by signwriter Eddie Stokes. Ringo first saw it when his new drums were delivered to him on 12 May 1963 and the drop-T logo went on to become the most recognisable way their name was printed – and ultimately the Beatles copyrighted it.’

‘George got a new Gibson SG around the time that The Beatles were recording Revolver about April 1966. The ‘Hey Bulldog’ recording session in February 1968 was filmed in colour and used as the promo for ‘Lady Madonna’, and in that film you can see George and John playing the guitar.

‘The Beatles had a record company called Apple, and they worked with a rock band named Badfinger. In 1969 Harrison gifted this guitar to Badfinger’s guitarist, Pete Ham.’

‘‘Hey Jude’ is one of The Beatles’ most enduring songs. One of the all-time greats. To know this sheet of handwritten lyrics was in the studio, at Abbey Road and possibly also at Trident, when they recorded the song at the end of July and beginning of August 1968 is just glorious.

‘This lyric sheet is an absolute talking point. If you own this object, any visitor to your house will want to see it, and you will want to show it off. Paul has always had lovely handwriting, and a little-known fact is that it was taught to him by the brother of John Lennon’s Uncle George, John’s father-figure.’

‘About a year after the ‘Paperback Writer’ session, John Lennon gifted this guitar to his cousin David Birch. The Beatles were all very generous with their instruments. David kept the guitar until 2014 when he sold it privately to Jim Irsay. I was able to handle this guitar then, and it’s a beautiful piece of work. A perfect match on the wood grain is the clincher that this is the genuine instrument.’

‘This is a very significant piece. When Ringo joined The Beatles, he still was using the Premier kit that he used with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Ultimately he got this new kit from a place in London called Drum City, which was a very intoxicating place for a young drummer to visit.

‘This simple kit was used on all the early Beatles recordings, and it’s on all the extraordinary tours and television shows that The Beatles did in their home country. The Beatles became famous on this kit. They went from being unknown to the greatest celebrities and enduring musicians that the world has ever known.’

‘John Lennon moved into his first big house during August 1964. Having previously lived with his aunt, followed by a flat in London with [his first wife] Cynthia and [their son] Julian, he now had a huge space to fill. Cynthia’s mother, Lillian Powell, had a hobby of travelling to auctions around Britain, and John gave her carte blanche to buy whatever she thought might look good in his house, which she often visited. I wouldn’t be surprised if this Broadwood piano was one of those purchases. I think the beauty of it would have appealed to John very much.’

‘If this ring could sing, it would tell a glorious story. Ringo can be seen wearing this distinctive ring on the front cover of the Please Please Me album and on the back cover of the fifth album, Help!. He also wore this ring when The Beatles went to the United States in 1964 [including when they made their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show]. I’m pleased that it’s an actual gold ring — that man had taste.’