How much is a lock of Mozart's hair worth?
LONDON -- Music lovers have the chance to own a strand of history.
Auctioneer Sotheby's is selling a lock of hair from the head of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, resting in a gilt locket.
Taking composers' hair as keepsakes was common in the 18th and 19th centuries.
After Mozart died in 1791, aged 35, his widow gave the hair to the mother of German composer Karl Anschutz. It was acquired by the late British composer Arthur Sommervell and is being sold by his family.
The hair is up for auction Thursday with an estimated price of $15,400 to $18,450.
The sale also includes a lock of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair and an invitation to his 1827 funeral, together valued at $3,100 to $4,600.