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Locket of George Washington's hair from 1799 up for auction
By Peter Aitken
Published March 29, 2021
A lock of George Washington's hair will be sold in the next week, with bids of nearly $2,000 for this unique historic relic.
Leland's Auctions put the lock of hair from America's first president up for auction on Feb. 25, with the auction to end Friday.
Leland's is a sports auction house and "the premier appraisers and authenticators" of sports memorabilia, making it an unusual place to find the first president of America's hair.
(Lelands)
The bidding opened at $1,000, with the current bid at $1,771.
The hair is contained within a brass and glass locket.
A letter accompanying the locket reads:
"General Washington's hair - cut from his head in the year 1799 by Mr. John Pierie of Philadelphia, from whom I received it, Fr. Hopkinson, Philada: June 28th, 1836."
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Pierie was a "barber surgeon" in the city. He kept the locks from this famous haircut and distributed it "among a select few of his old customers and friends," according to the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
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The State Museum of Pennsylvania itself possesses two samples of George Washington's hair from that same sample.
Fox News reached out to Leland's for comment, which is pending.
Seven bids have been made on Leland's auction so far, with more likely to come in over the remaining days.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/locket-george-washington-hair-auction