The Canadian dentist who bought John Lennon’s rotten molar for $30,000 has added another famous dental item to his collection – the spare crown that Elvis took on tour in case he damaged his front teeth, complete with plaster mould of the King’s jaws. It has not yet been revealed how much Dr Michael Zuk paid for the item, but he admitted that his wife was not too happy with his decision to bid on the crown, urging him not to waste his money on ‘another stupid tooth’.
Despite his wife’s misgivings, Dr Zuk couldn’t help himself when the Elvis memorabilia came up for auction yesterday in Stockport, he collected this piece and the extracted tooth of Beatles legend John Lennon because he feels that the two men where important icons that should be remembered. Since purchasing the crown, Dr Zuk has been asked to take part in a documentary about celebrity DNA, to discuss the significance of the dental artefact in relation to popular culture.
Dr Zuk is also thought to be selling limited edition commemorative prints of the Lennon molar under the banner of ‘Rot Star Art’, which will go on sale as a celebration of the Beatles arriving in the US in February 1964. The molar – which also has its own Twitter following – is currently being considered for the Guinness book of records, as long as it can be cross-referenced with the DNA of a living relative, to ensure its origins.