5 Celebrity Body Parts That Have Gone Up for Sale

The nature of celebrity means there’s intense public interest in even the minutiae of their lives — and, of course, their bodies. After all, why settle for an autograph, when you could instead own a literal piece of your hero? In a trade that’s, apparently, legal, people have purchased body parts of different celebrities.

Here are five strange remains sold to fans — or maybe the world’s weirdest investors…

5 John Lennon’ s Tooth

It’s a grim reality that dying before their time is a guarantee that interest in a celebrity will remain high forever. When that celebrity was already a member of the biggest rock band in the world, that’s how you end up with someone paying $31,000 for John Lennon's tooth at auction. I’m not sure what’s stranger, the person buying it at auction, or the fact that apparently Lennon originally gave it as a gift to his housekeeper.

4 Ronald Reagan’ s Blood

I could see the value in a vial of Ronald Reagan’s blood, because it almost definitely would be useful in summoning some sort of demon. That doesn’t mean it’s in good taste, of course. Blood, outside of a body, is just something that anyone outside of a hospital shouldn’t be storing. Even if it’s the last remaining object of your dearly departed grandma, that’s gross. This blood was doubly macabre, seeing as it came from the aftermath of an assassination attempt. That’s probably why the auction for it was eventually canceled, and the blood instead, uh, donated to his foundation. Hopefully not for cloning purposes, but probably for cloning purposes.

3 David Bowie’ s Hair

Compared to the first two, a lock of hair is positively sunny. After all, it’s the only one of the three that can be removed without medical tools (neatly, that is). A lock of hair might, conceivably, be a somewhat reasonable memento. Attach it to a small doll and you’ve got problems, but it usually doesn’t require a police investigation. When that lock of hair comes from a celebrity with an almost ethereal reputation, it really does seem like it would bring good fortune. Which is, I suppose, why someone was willing to pay nearly $20,000 for a few severed sprigs of David Bowie's mane.

2 Truman Capote’ s Ashes

Or, you could forgo choosing a specific body part altogether, as in the case of Truman Capote’s remains. He was cremated, and ashes are obviously much more easily divvied up than an embalmed corpse. That said, I don’t think it means that you should. Though some defend it as being uniquely fitting for a character as singular as Capote, and it’s possible he might have found it darkly funny. After the death of his friend, who he had originally gifted a portion of his ashes to, they were auctioned for a final price of $45,000. Still, the act of placing an exact value on human remains seems like a tough day for the moral compass. In cold blood, indeed.

1 William Shatner’s Kidney Stone

Just when you think the process of auctioning off a bit of someone’s body couldn’t get any more intimate, along comes an item that makes you see how much worse it could have been. Specifically, the auction of a kidney stone passed by William Shatner. I knew Star Trek fans were serious, but I didn’t think they were “buy something out of Captain Kirk’s urethra” serious. Though I suppose a Star Trek hater might also have interest in owning something that caused the star incredible pain. That’s a powerful sort of totem, which explains why it sold for $25,000.