A set of dentures of a 20th century historical figure could become one of the most expensive false teeth taken from a dead person. The teeth consisting of six upper incisors mounted in gold are on sale in next month’s auction by Cotswold Auction Company in Cheltenham, England.
The dentures is expected to fetch up to £8,000 ($10,000) not just because of the precious metal in it but because it had belonged to World War II British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Churchill’s dentist, Wilfred Fish, designed the false teeth and dental technician Derek Cudlipp fashioned it, CNN reported. Cudlipp’s son sold one set (there were three sets made in case one broke or got lost) that he found in his late father’s belongings. It fetched £15,200 (then $23,700) at an auction in 2010.
More expensive than Churchill’s false teeth are that of American rapper Ye, formerly Kanye West.
The 46-year-old hip-hop artist’s representative confirmed on social media that Ye has “new metal fixed prosthodontics” that were put in by Beverly Hills-based dentist Dr. Thomas Connelly, New York Daily News and Today.com reported.
The source described Ye’s dental implants as fixed and permanent, going way beyond veneers or grills, and quite unlike anything that has been done before.
His own teeth, however, were not removed, the source added.
The titanium implants reportedly designed by Ye himself cost $850,000, according to NYDN.