Other critics of hair collecting say that the pastime could be fertile ground for fraud. The organization International Crusade for Holy Relics is lobbying for legislation in the US to prevent the trade of hair and other human artifacts on eBay, arguing that canon law forbids their sale.
Likewise, many families of contemporary celebrities oppose such sales. Others contend that the hobby is a violation of a basic right to privacy. Historians have used DNA tests on hair obtained from collectors to determine, for instance, that Thomas Jefferson had fathered a child with one of his slaves, and that Beethoven suffered from lead poisoning.
Some memorabilia dealers have stopped collecting hair. “It’s basically a credibility issue,” said Bob Eaton, who auctions celebrity autographs. “Anybody can snip a piece of hair and, say, call it Einstein’s.”
Though some people don’t take this hobby seriously, others see dollar signs. In September, Reznikoff sold a few strands of George Washington’s hair to Topps, the company known for baseball cards, setting off a frenzy when Topps hid the hair in three special cards as part of a promotional contest. That same month, Reznikoff sold a wisp of Beethoven’s hair to a company that incorporated it into a synthetic diamond and listed it for US$1 million on eBay. (The diamond attracted 62 bids and was finally sold for US$202,000.)
Despite the controversy that hair collecting has generated, Reznikoff regards the hobby as natural and as innocent as his childhood days spent hoarding toy cars and comic books.
“I’ve always been a collector,” he said. “I really believe that’s something genetic. You’re either a collector or you’re not.”
As Reznikoff left the storage room at his shop, he said, “I’m thinking about getting into wine.” He casually pointed to a few dusty bottles of a dark black vintage, sitting on a shelf, that were courtesy of the wine cellars of Edward VIII.
RSS