London, July 11 (IANS) Beatles mania continues to rake in moolah as the latest trove went under the hammer at the Christie's for pound1.5 million.

The drum skin used on the cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper Album fetched more than half a million pounds at the London auction, nearly four times the estimated price.

John Lennon's lyrics for 'Give Peace a Chance' sold for pound421,250 at the rock memorabilia sale at Christie's, BBC News said. The lyrics were handed to comedy writer Gail Renard at Lennon and Yoko Ono's Montreal 'bed-in' in 1969.

The entire collection, which included photos never seen in public before, fetched more than pound1.5m. A pair of tinted prescription sunglasses belonging to Lennon, which the singer wore for the cover of the single Mind Games, raised pound39,650.

Recordings of the Jimi Hendrix Experience performing at the Woburn Music Festival in July 1968 went for pound48,050, a Marshall amplifier used by Hendrix in concert fetched pound25,000 and a pair of his stripy flared trousers made pound20,000.

A 1967 Gibson guitar, formerly owned by Pete Townshend of the Who, sold for pound32,450.