Rare John Lennon artefact to go on display at Edinburgh's Hard Rock Café as part of 'treasure hunt'

A rare John Lennon artefact that offers an insight into his relationship with Yoko Ono is to go on display at an Edinburgh restaurant as part of a global “Beatles treasure hunt”.

The John Lennon Estate and Hard Rock Café have join together to collaborate on the new worldwide Beatles memorabilia Treasure Hunt.

Launched in honour of the release of John Lennon’s 1973 album Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection, fans can visit Hard Rock locations around the world to see artefacts from the former Beatle.

Locations displaying items include Manchester, London, Brussels, Bucharest, Florence, New York, and Orlando.

The questionnaire was filled out by Lennon in 1973. Muckle Media via Supplied

Also featured is Edinburgh’s Hard Rock Café will be a questionnaire filled out in pen by Lennon himself in 1973.

Described as a “valuable historical artefact”, the form offers a glimpse into his inner thoughts at the time – mostly expressing his deep affection for wife Yoko Ono – who he famously collaborated on with Christmas classic Happy Xmas (War Is Over).

The full list of questions and answers filled by John Lennon can be found below;

My ideal virtue: Yoko
My idea of beauty in nature: Yoko
My favourite qualities in women: Yoko
My greatest happiness: Yoko
My greatest misery: Asleep
My favourite residence: Yoko
My favourite authors: Yoko
My favourite musical composer and instrument: Yoko / guitar
My favourite actors and plays: John and Yoko in ‘public’
My favourite animal: Human

Other highlights at Hard Rock locations include the two-tone denim jacket worn by John Lennon on the night he was thrown out of the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles on March 12, 1974.

A Beatles harpsichord used on the recordings of All You Need Is Love and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds will also be display, as are Lennon’s notations over his lyrics to Instant Karma.

During the treasure hunt, found artefacts are tagged with QR codes that provide fans with stories and points for rewards and discounts on John and Yoko’s new social website Citizen of Nutopia.

Giovanni Taliaferro, vice president of memorabilia and design at Hard Rock International, said: “Preserving music history is what enriches the Hard Rock travel, dining and gaming experience.

“We are honored to display priceless pieces from John Lennon’s musical and inspirational legacy. We have the utmost gratitude to the John Lennon Estate and Universal Music Group for inviting us to participate in this amazing venture.

“We hope that by learning from Hard Rock’s memorabilia collection, John’s biggest fans can imagine how his artistry and ideals still endure today.”

Sean Ono Lennon added: “We’ve been working on the box sets of Mind Games for years now. Initially I thought, ‘Mind Games’.. game… What if we ‘gamified’ Mind Games?

“So that’s all I’ll say for now, but there are many levels to this release, including the box sets and far beyond – that will slowly unravel – and I hope will potentially entertain and engage everyone for many years to come.

“I hope you enjoy these Mind Games with Hard Rock and as my Mom says in the intro to the book, let’s see how we can make a positive future with it – to play a positive mind game with one another.”