BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — An acoustic guitar that John Lennon used to record and write “Love Me Do,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and other hit songs sold for $2.4 million at auction.

Julien’s Auctions said the Gibson J-160E guitar was sold Saturday to an undisclosed buyer. Lennon used the guitar before swapping it with George Harrison. It later went missing during a concert in 1963.

The guitar’s whereabouts were unknown until John McCaw of San Diego, who bought the guitar in the late 1960s for $275, saw an old magazine story last year that featured a photo of the instrument that bore similar markings as his guitar.

An expert matched the guitar’s serial number, wood grain and markings to the one Lennon used, Julien’s Auction said.

– From news service reports