George Harrison’s Futurama guitar — the six-string featured in hundreds of the Beatles' early live shows and heard across several studio recordings vital to the group's development — will go to auction this month.

The vintage Futurama, which the late Beatle favored during his band’s formative days, will go under the gavel at Julien’s Auctions this fall. Labeled a “holy grail” by the auction house, the instrument is expected to eclipse the already high pre-sale estimate of $600,000 to $800,000 at a sale in Nashville in November.

George Harrison's guitar has gone on public display at a museum in Liverpool ahead of it going under the hammer next month. The Futurama electric guitar was bought by The Beatles star for about £58 when he was a 16-year-old apprentice electrician in 1959.

An electric guitar played by the late guitarist George Harrison in the early days of the Beatles will go up for sale at an auction next month where it could be sold for more than $800,000.

The Beatle is believed to have played the Futurama guitar in more than 300 performances, including several key moments in the band’s early tenure

A guitar bought by George Harrison for about £58 is expected to fetch more than 1 million US dollars (£753,000) at auction. The Futurama electric guitar was bought by The Beatles star when he was a 16-year-old apprentice electrician in 1959 and was paid for in 44 instalments after his mother signed a hire purchase agreement at Frank Hessy's music shop in Liverpool.