At the end of the day it was the sweet sounds of a “Black Beauty,” a 1957 Gibson Les Paul custom left-handed guitar, that crowned Eldred’s thousand-plus-lot sale March 30-31 when it sold for $247,000. The guitar, of which 283 were produced, was one of a few made for lefties.

Despite aggressive bid jumping on the part of a phone bidder, the guitar was hammered down to a bidder in the room who was patient and deliberate. The guitar was acquired new in 1957 by a Cape Cod doctor who played it until his death last fall. A complete report of the sale will appear in a future edition.