Churchill's dentures to be auctioned

Aylsham - An upper denture designed for Sir Winston Churchill is to be auctioned on July 29. The teeth are expected to bring £4,500 to £5,000.

They are being sold at Keys' Salerooms in Aylsham, Norfolk. The Keys auction catalogue describes lot 633 as: “A partial upper Denture, designed for Sir Winston Churchill by his dentist, Sir Wilfred Fish, and made by Fish's technician, Derek Cudlipp. A duplicate denture was donated by Cudlipp to the Royal College of Surgeons and is exhibited in the Odontological Section of Museum, provenance by descent4000-5000.” The Telegraph reported that Churchill had problems with his teeth and gums, requiring complicated dentistry from childhood. The dentures helped him to speak clearly and he kept a spare set nearby in case they were needed. “It is so quirky – one of those things which is so unusual that it could make a huge amount of money,” said Andrew Bullock, a valuer at Keys'. “The teeth are set in dentist's gold – but I think it is safe to say they won't be sold for their scrap value.” Reuters reported that documents written by the college of surgeons stated the dentures were "carefully designed to ensure that Churchill retained his characteristically slurred diction -- a deliberate affectation designed to overcome a childhood lisp.” The denture is being sold by the son of the dental technician who made them. A third set was buried with Churchill in 1965. There are other Churchill-related items in the catalogue including a broken Victorian cigar box with Churchill's initials on the lid, playing cards made for Churchill with a copy of his signature on the back and an usher's armband worn at his funeral. One of his half-smoked cigars sold for £4,500 earlier this year.