John Lennon hair lock bought by Paul Fraser Collectibles

Paul Fraser Collectibles acquired a lock of John Lennon's hair at Heritage Auctions on February 20.

It's the largest clump of the Beatle's hair ever offered at auction, with the hammer finally dropping at $35,000 - around three times the estimate.

That's a new world record for a lock of Lennon's hair.

Lennon hair lock
The haircut took place in Hamburg in 1966 

The haircut took place in Hamburg in 1966, shortly before Lennon took on a role in Richard Lester's black comedy How I Won the War and around a month after the release of Revolver.

Lennon wore a pair of round-framed glasses for the role, which he continued to wear for the rest of his life.  

Gary Shrum, director of music memorabilia at Heritage, comments: "This is the largest lock of John Lennon's hair ever offered at auction and this world record price is a lasting testament to the world's more than 50-year love affair and fascination with Lennon and the Beatles."

Hair might seem an unusual variety of memorabilia, but it has a long and fascinating history as a collector's item.

It first became popular during the Victorian era, when admirers of notable people would often ask for a lock of their hair rather than a signature.

There has been a marked resurgence of interest in the hobby of late; last year one bidder payed £35,000 ($53,520) for a lock of Mozart's hair, while another acquired a lock from Abraham Lincoln shelled for $25,000.  

The previous record for a lock of Lennon's hair is £24,000 ($33,989), set at Gorringes in 2007.

Click here to take a look at all our Beatles memorabilia for sale, or check out our selection of famous hair.

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