Winston Churchill’s wartime false teeth are up for sale

A set of Winston Churchill’s false teeth is expected to fetch up to £8,000 ($10,000) when it goes on sale in England next month.

Churchill, Britain’s prime minister during World War II, had several sets of upper dentures that were specifically constructed to maintain his natural lisp and were mounted on gold, according to the Cotswold Auction Company, which is holding the sale in Cheltenham on February 6.

After losing several teeth while still in his 20s, Churchill carried two sets of the dentures with him all the time, allowing him to make the rousing speeches for which he was so famous.

This set was probably made at the start of World War II, the auction house said, and “must be among the most unusual items we have ever sold,” director Liz Poole added in a statement.

Designed by Churchill’s dentist, Wilfred Fish, and made by technician Derek Cudlipp, this set was first put up for sale by Cudlipp’s son, Nigel, in 2010, when it fetched £15,200 (then $23,700).