Trends come and go. From frosted tips to Ska music, sometimes it’s best to let fads slink away into the recesses of history.
Luckily, the common practice of affluent families preserving and displaying locks of hair from loved ones in frames, jewelry and cases, has long gone out of practice.
But for the years in which it was in fashion, some remarkable pieces of the most influential figures in history were kept as mementos, and have emerged as slightly morbid collector’s items today.
One piece that fit the bill is the lock of George Washington’s hair, which sold Wednesday at University Archives for $17,000, an astounding return since selling a year ago for just $2,500.
It was originally owned by George Washington Parke Custi, whose father served with Washington in the Revolutionary War. Presumably, the lock of hair was removed from Washington’s head by a close family member.
Encapsulated in a gold glass-topped brooch framed by nearly two-dozen pearls, the braid of hair was passed to Robert E. Lee III, grandson of the confederate general.
Eventually, the hair made its way to the Mount Vernon Museum, where it joined dozens of other examples. According to the museum, “George and Martha Washington gifted their locks to friends and admirers. Sometimes, they received requests from distant acquaintances and strangers who wanted to memorialize the great general. After his death, the hair relics were made when political turmoil and recession fostered nostalgia for the perceived glories of the past.”
Though beating the high estimate of $4,000 by a mile, this is a far cry from a record price. Leland’s once sold a locket of Washington’s hair for nearly $40,000, its value largely fueled by its well-documented provenance.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.