You can own this tooth for just $16,000. If you're into that sort of thing.
The tooth fairy will have to shell out some big bucks if she wants to compete with fans vying to buy John Lennon’s tooth. A molar belonging to the former Beatle is headed to the auction block in England, CNN reports.
Back in the ’60s, Lennon reportedly gave his housekeeper, Dorothy Jarlett, the chomper as a token for her daughter, who was a fan of the Beatles. Apparently the woman liked the cavity-ridden molar enough to keep it for over 40 years. (There’s no word on whether she kept up on the tooth’s dental hygiene while it was in her possession.) To verify authenticity, the tooth comes with an affidavit signed by Jarlett, who has auctioned off other Beatles’ memorabilia, including the jacket worn by Lennon on the Rubber Soul album cover.
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“This is the most wonderful and weird item that we have ever had for sale,” auctioneer Karen Fairweather of Omega Auctions told the BBC. However, this isn’t the first time an oddly personal bit of rock star memorabilia has been sold at auction. As CNN reports, a clump of hair believed to have been snipped from Elvis Presley’s scalp when he joined the Army in 1958 sold for $18,300 in 2009.
Whether the buyer of the Beatles’ tooth is aiming at a once-in-a-lifetime (we hope) investment opportunity or a fan hoping to own part of an actual Beatle, owning the memento mori won’t come cheap. The reserve price at the auction, which is scheduled for November 5, is set at $16,000. That’s a lot of dental floss.