A rotten tooth that once belonged to Beatle John Lennon has doubled its £10,000 estimate at an auction in the UK.
Canadian dentist Michael Zuk bought the tooth for £19,500 ($31,000) at Stockport's Omega Auctions on Saturday, November 5.
"This tooth just represents a major celebrity that we don't have anymore," the 49-year-old told Canadian broadcaster CTV News.
"I just think it's priceless."
Following a trip to the dentist, Lennon gave the tooth, which had a large cavity, to his former housekeeper Dot Jarlett.
 Fixing a hole? Lennon's tooth had a cavity |
Nicknamed "Aunty Dot" by the singer, she was employed by him at his Surrey home between 1964 and 1968.
"He was in the kitchen and he had this tooth which he had wrapped in a piece of paper," Dot's son Barry Jarlett told the BBC.
After initially asking Dot to dispose of the tooth, Lennon added: "Or, as your daughter's a Beatles fan, you can give it to her as a souvenir."
Dot chose the second option, and Barry's sister kept the tooth safe all these years.
Unusual Beatles collectibles have a habit of performing well at auction, evidence that the Fab Four can sell, whatever the item.
Lennon's toilet seat from his Tittenhurst Park home, where he lived from 1969 to 1971, sold at a Beatles convention for $14,500 last year.
Carrying on the "left-field" Beatles theme, UK collectibles retailer A Small Piece of History is currently selling four pieces of bed linen, each slept on by one of The Beatles, at £595 for four pieces.
The bed linen dates to the band's inaugural tour of the USA in 1964, and their stay at the Whittier Hotel in Detroit.
