Iconic false teeth set to light up the sale room
Winston Churchill’s iconic set of false teeth are set to light up the sale room as they go up for auction today.
The famous dentures, which were manufactured by a young technician known as Derek Cudlipp, were designed to preserve Churchill’s infamous lisp. Churchill’s distinctive voice became a major weapon during the war, as he encouraged British forces and urged the country to get behind the army.
Derek Cudlipp’s son, Nigel, said Churchill maintained a close relationship with his dentist and regularly called on him to repair his dentures following a fit of rage, which caused him to take the dentures out and throw them across the room. Churchill refused to let Cudlipp fight in the war, ripping his call-up papers in front of him. Nigel Cudlipp has had possession of the dentures for a few years now but he is sending them to auction as he feels they should be available for the public to see.
Historians are excited about the sale, claiming that the dentures changed the face of the war and became a valuable instrument in Chruchill’s armoury; Churchill’s voice would not have been so distinctive without them and the iconic phrases and quotations just wouldn’t have sounded the same.
The dentures are being auctioned at Keys Auctioneers in Aylsham, Norfolk; auctioneer Andrew Bullock said the lot had attracted interest from all over the world. The dentures have been valued at £4000-£5000; however, Bullock said he would not be surprised if they fetched a much larger sum.
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