Lock of George Washington's hair, cut by Philly barber, for Sale

Have you ever wondered what hair from the 18th century looked like? Were you ever curious about the daily practices of our founding fathers? Well, apparently, George Washington left a little piece of him for us to fight over. A lock of the first POTUS’s hair is for sale right now in New Jersey.

The hair was taken when he was in Philadelphia and was cut by a local Philly barber. According to Philly Voice, Lelands, a sports-focused auction house in Matawan, New Jersey, is currently auctioning off a lock of the president’s hair from now until April 2 at 11 pm. As of Monday evening, the hair had been bid on 10 times and is currently up to $2,357.

Philly Voice reports that the lock of hair is being sold in a handmade brass and glass locket where it has been stored for many years. It comes with a handwritten letter from June 28, 1836. The letter says, “General Washington’s hair-- cut from his head in the year 1799 by Mr. John Pierie of Philadelphia, from whom I received it, Ft. Hopkinson, Philada: June 28th, 1836.” Philly Voice says that the hair was removed from his head close to or after he died in 1799. A lock of hair with a similar story is owned by the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

The note attached to that lock of hair tells us that George Washington allowed Pierie to keep “a pretty good portion” of the hair he cut off the President during his last visit to Philly in 1797, Philly Voice explains. A different lock of hair from Washington sold for $35,763.60 in 2019, according to the New York Post.