Why do people spend so much to buy celebrities' hair?

Washington

THE haircut was like any other. John Lennon was preparing for his role as Gripweed in the film How I Won the War. The performance was unmemorable. So too was the coif. But on Saturday, nearly 50 years after it was chopped from his head, Lennon's lock of hair sold for US$35,000.

The clipping garnered triple the amount Dallas auctioneers expected it to sell for. And not because some crazed fangirl really wanted the lock for her "Hey Arnold!"-like shrine. The hair was in high demand by professional hair collectors - because that is an actual business. From George Washington to Justin Bieber, tresses of the famous are bought, sold and showboated across the country.