Edward VIII’s Wisdom Tooth Expected To Sell For Over $10K At Auction
It’s not unusual to have royal memorabilia hit the auction block, but sometimes, the items are peculiar, like the wisdom tooth of King Edward VIII.
The Independent reported that Edward VIII, who is best known as the king who gave up the throne to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Warfield Simpson of Baltimore, Maryland. The stained wisdom tooth was removed in 1940, and has been in the family of his dentist ever since. The tooth is expected to fetch over $10,000 at auction.
The former king had his wisdom tooth extracted later than most, after his abdication and soon after he was appointed the governor of the Bahamas.
His dentist, Dr. Hugh Johnson, was later quoted as saying that the duke was “highly strung” and quite “jumpy” while in the operating room. In addition to the tooth, an X-ray and dental card, dated September 9, 1940, and signed by Edward Wallis Windsor, will also go under the hammer as part of the same lot. The grandson of the dentist is the person who is bringing the item up for auction.
Dr. Johnson also worked on the teeth of Sir Winston Churchill after an accident in New York caused him to lose a tooth.
Edward VIII abdicated the British throne #OnThisDay in 1936, so that he could go on to marry Wallis Simpson. Deserved one other, loathsome duo that they were. pic.twitter.com/o6Bjl2LILe
— Mike Stuchbery ?? (@MikeStuchbery_) December 10, 2018
The wisdom tooth auction will take place at Omega Auctions, where one of John Lennon’s teeth sold for $20,000 eight years ago.
Auctioneer Paul Fairweather states that they are expecting a great deal of interest in the royal tooth.
“We expect huge interest in this truly unique item, which is backed up crucially by exceptional provenance,” Fairweather said.
A whole new generation has been introduced to the story of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson through the Netflix series, The Crown, explains The Inquisitr. Without the abdication of King Edward, the story behind The Crown, that of Queen Elizabeth II, would not exist, as it was the queen’s father who became the monarch when his brother stepped down.
But it is the love story between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson that has brought more attention to the royal couple.
The Crown tells the story about the family rift between the rest of the Windsor family and Edward VIII, who was called David by his family, which started when he decided to ignore his duty to the United Kingdom and marry Simpson instead.
The couple spent the rest of their lives in virtual exile, as part of the agreement at the time of the abdication was that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor would live outside of England if they expected to continue receiving an allowance.
