One of the new trends among collectors is collecting celebrity hair locks, specifically deceased celebrities that have been long gone. Hair locks are the term used for pieces of hair cut off from celebrities.
This recent craze has seemed to appear in the last decade or two, and it has raised many questions in a lot of people’s minds: “What’s the value behind this?” and “Just how much can its price rise up to?”
Most are considered collectibles to have greater value when it is associated with a famous brand, limited time production, limited produced items, and a famous personality. Celebrity hair locks embody these factors.
Of course, the main way for a collectible to have a value is to either be associated with a brand or a famous personality, or both. There are other ways to add value to a collectible such as context of how it was made or acquired.
Another way value is added to an item is if it the item is limited edition. Limited edition items are more valuable since only a certain amount of people can have them. The smaller number of items, the greater the value.
This brings us to why celebrities’ locks are so valuable. The value of the locks is usually determined by the popularity or the significance of the personality; how many of these are available in the market.
In short, the bigger the personality and the lower the supply in the market, the greater the value of the locks.
From George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, to Marilyn Monroe; these personalities’ hair locks are currently auctioned, traded, and “bought & sold” by enthusiasts. For famous personalities like Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, pieces of their hair were sometimes collected by their barbers and were passed down as family heirlooms.
Another political figure that has their locks for sale is John F. Kennedy. Many have been admiring Kennedy’s voluminous hair lately. Anyone with enough money can get their hands on a lock of his hair along with a locket and a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) for around $1200.00. For those who want a cheaper option, you can buy only a strand of his hair, along with a lock and a COA for only $449.00.
A COA is used to identify whether an item is legitimate or not. These certificates are acquired from Louis Mushro who sold celebrity locks, and a lifetime member of the manuscript society.
For those who are more interested in celebrities rather than political figures, with a good enough budget they can get their hands on John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, and even Elvis Presley’s hair locks.
John Lennon’s strands are worth about $1000.00, and it comes along with a locket and a Certificate of Authenticity
Most collectors purchase these because these are something that were part of the celebrity themselves. It may be a case that they feel that these items bring them closer to their idols or they might want a piece of history in their possession.
