A complete set of Bag One lithographs signed by John Lennon is to cross the block at RR Auction on July 23.

It's expected to make in excess of its $5,000 opening bid in a sale of music memorabilia.

John Lennon's Bag One was executed in 1969 - each of the 300 sets came in its own bag

Lennon drew the illustrations in Bag One in 1969, as a wedding gift for Yoko Ono. It displays various tableau from their life together.

It was also exhibited and published, but drew the ire of the authorities in the UK due to its sexual content.

The auction house explains the fascinating history behind the lot: "Limited to 300 sets, this set being No. 224, each lithograph was individually numbered and signed in pencil by Lennon…

"In London, the lithographs on exhibition were confiscated by Scotland Yard on the charge that they were pornography rather than art.

"Lennon was later exonerated by the British courts, but many of the prints were mishandled and never returned. Art galleries have been known to list these lithographs individually for $18-20 thousand."

A guitar played onstage by Johnny Ramone of the Ramones during the 1980s carries an identical opening bid of $5,000.

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