New York - Vice President Biden made the winning bid at the Hard Rock Cafe today setting a new record for Beatles memorabilia and other bits of useless 60s music tat.
Bidding was brisk at the Times Square venue as the 1965 Stratocaster, first used by ex-Beatle George Harrison to record his famous double unison solo 'Nowhere Man' alongside John Lennon, set a new auction record at close to $500,000.
"Kinda ironic," online oddsmaker Aintgottaprayer.con commented, "considering that song is almost the Democrat Party's official Joe Biden signature tune, heheh."
The instrument was the first to feature three pickups and a floating spring tension tremolo system - something of huge interest to the Vice President as he plans a garage band start-up after leaving office late next year.
And in another surprise twist a pair of maracas once played by Madonna at a Clinton-Gore funraiser raised a paltry $250,000.
No accounting for taste.
