The famous Steinway piano which John Lennon used to compose "Imagine" went on public view today - Yoko's birthday - in anticipation of an online auction in July. Organizers of the auction are expecting the piano to sell for at least $1,000,000. An ABC Radio report put the estimated sale at $2,000,000.

The upright Steinway Z is being exhibited now at the Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool and will be auctioned on a new Web site, eoffer.com sometime in July but will remain on display until October.

John bought the piano in 1970 for around 1,000 British pounds and composed ``Imagine'' a year later. Shelagh Johnston, the curator of the museum told Reuters News agency: ``To look at it, this is just another piano. But hear the magic that came out of it and you can see it's unique.''

The piano has been insured for 3-million pounds and will be kept under 24-hour guard while at the Beatles Museum. The Steinway has been owned by a private collector for the past ten years.

``Because John Lennon used it to work on `Imagine' and do the full recording, it has become special,'' Colin Turner of Steinway told Reuters. ``Most of the world's great classical musicians love Steinway but pop artists use it to a lesser degree, so it fills us with pride that such a genius chose Steinway.''

More at: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000217/re/britain_lennon_1.htmlp