Dr. Michael Zuk, 49, a dentist from Alberta, Canada paid 31,000 USD (£19,500) for a John Lennon's molar tooth after successfully winning an auction in Stockport via telephone - setting the new world record for the Most Expensive Tooth.
The Guinness world record for the Most expensive tooth sold at auction was set by an upper right canine tooth extracted from the mouth of Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I of France), in 1817, which sold for the hammer price of £11,000 (then $19,140) at the Dominic Winter auction in Wiltshire, UK.
Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the Largest collection of tooth brushes, set by Grigori Fleicher (Russia), who has a collection of 1,320 different tooth brushes.
The Beatles star gave the molar tooth to Dot Jarlett, his housekeeper during the 1960s and it was part of a collection of memorabilia owned by Alan McGee, former boss of record company Creation Records.
Mr Zuk is an avid fan of celebrity teeth and has written a book about famous peoples' pearly whites. He said that when he heard about the auction for Lennon's tooth he just had to buy it.
"it's probably worth a lot more than that. I was offered more than I paid very quickly afterwards," he said.
Zuk will now display the tooth in his surgery in Alberta and also has plans to take it to dental schools and show it to colleagues at other dental practices.
Mr Zuk said that he realises that the molar will not be everyone's cup of tea and some people will think it is extraordinary, while others will find it rather disgusting.
In 1980, Lennon was shot in the back four times by Mark David Chapman. The shots came as Lennon was walking into the entrance of his New York apartment.
Mr McGee said that he had decided to sell the items because he has had enough of the music industry.
Karen Fairweather, from Omega Auctions, described the tooth as "rather gruesome"; Lennon gave the housekeeper the tooth and told her to dispose of it or give it to her daughter as a souvenir. |
Print
Most Expensive Tooth