Bullet appraised between approximately 2.53 to 3.37 million KRW
British police officer receives gift from New York Police Department and keeps it
A bullet used by Mark David Chapman, the assassin who killed John Lennon of the legendary British rock band The Beatles, has been put up for auction. On the 25th (local time), BBC and other foreign media reported that Anderson & Garland, an auction house in Newcastle, UK, will auction the bullet on the 29th at the request of the family of former police officer Brian Taylor.
The New York Police recovered the bullet and shell casing fired by Taylor and gave them to him as a gift. Taylor framed a photo of himself holding the gun along with the bullet and shell casing and hung it on the wall of his office until his retirement. [Photo by Anderson & Garland website]
The bullet had been in the possession of former police officer Brian Taylor since September 1984, and after Taylor passed away, his family put the bullet up for auction. Lennon was killed earlier on December 8, 1980, in front of his apartment in Manhattan, New York, USA. The firearm used in the incident was kept as evidence by the New York Police Department.
The reason former British police officer Taylor came to possess the bullet fired from the gun dates back to September 1984. At that time, Taylor was leading police cadets on a visit to the New York Police Department (NYPD). During this visit, while he was unarmed and riding in a patrol car, he became involved in a shooting incident. Although Taylor was neither injured nor killed in the incident, the New York Police expressed regret for spoiling his trip.
Additionally, as an apology, the New York Police took Taylor, a Beatles fan, to a small museum in the NYPD’s forensic investigation unit. There, Taylor was allowed to fire one bullet from the gun used by Mark Chapman in the crime. The New York Police collected the bullet and shell casing fired by Taylor and gave them to him as a gift. Taylor framed a photo of himself holding the gun along with the bullet and shell casing and hung it on his office wall until his retirement.
Brian Taylor, a former British police officer, was able to fire one bullet from the gun used by Mark Chapman, the assassin of John Lennon. [Photo by Anderson & Garland]
The auction house stated that they conducted intensive investigations to verify the authenticity of the bullet. The estimated price is between ?1,500 and ?2,000 (approximately 2.53 to 3.37 million KRW). Fred Wiley Birch, director of Anderson & Garland, said, "There is a passionate fan base for The Beatles, and there is a market that sells everything related to The Beatles, but it is very rare to get something so unique and unusual." He added, "It is difficult to know how valuable such a unique item is and whether there is a market to trade such items. The bullet up for auction is an irreplaceable and truly fascinating Beatles memorabilia."
Meanwhile, Mark David Chapman, who assassinated John Lennon, was sentenced to life imprisonment and is currently serving his sentence at the age of 68. He has been applying for parole every two years since 2000, after the 20-year period during which parole was not allowed, but all applications have been denied.
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