Jim Irsay brings another Beatles guitar into his fold

Jim Irsay's current spending spree isn't limited to bringing free-agent football players to Indianapolis.

Three weeks after buying a 1954 electric guitar originally owned and designed by Les Paul, Irsay spent $530,000 for a guitar once owned by John Lennon.

The Colts owner pursued the orange 1963 Gretsch hollow-bodied model for several years. Lennon, who played the guitar during the 1966 recording session for chart-topping Beatles hit "Paperback Writer," gave the instrument to his cousin, David Birch, in 1967.

Greenwood native Christopher McKinney, caretaker for Irsay's collection of historic guitars, befriended Birch and counts the Liverpool resident as a valued memorabilia consultant.

"Jim is a huge Beatles fan," McKinney told The Star in 2013. "Anything that comes up Beatles that's guitar related, we usually wind up getting."

McKinney predicted that Lennon's Gretsch would be offered at auction, which happened in November 2014. But when the guitar failed to reach its $600,000 reserve, Birch called off the auction overseen by England's Tracks Ltd.

Irsay eventually purchased the guitar, which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame displayed from June 2012 to May 2014, directly from Birch.

"(Birch) is a feisty old Englishman," McKinney told Rolling Stone magazine. "It took about 15 figures paddled back and forth before everyone agreed to the $530,000 figure."

On Monday, McKinney said the guitar has yet to arrive in the United States.

The Gretsch becomes the third Beatles guitar in Irsay's collection.

He purchased a 1966 Vox guitar, played by Lennon and George Harrison, for $408,000 at auction in 2013. In 2004, Irsay paid $567,000 at auction for a Gibson SG originally owned by Harrison.

Lennon gave the Vox guitar to electronics engineer Alexis "Magic Alex" Mardas as a gift, while Harrison gave the SG to Badfinger's Pete Ham.

McKinney said three guitars top Irsay's wish list:

>> An electric Rickenbacker 325 owned by Lennon.

>> An electric Epiphone Casino owned by Lennon.

>> An acoustic Gibson J160E owned by Lennon.

Realistically, the Colts owner has little chance to purchase these guitars that are family heirlooms in the possession of the Lennon estate.

About 200 guitars make up the Irsay collection, which includes Jerry Garcia's "Tiger" (purchased at auction for $957,000), the Fender Stratocaster played by Bob Dylan during his controversial electric debut at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival (purchased at auction for $965,000) and the 1954 Les Paul Gibson Black Custom (purchased at auction for $335,500).

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.