Former British PM Winston Churchill’s false teeth go up for auction

Sir Winston Churchill’s dentures are being auctioned off in Cheltenham. Photo / Cotswold Auction House

Sir Winston Churchill’s dentures are being auctioned off in Cheltenham, United Kingdom.

The war-time prime minister’s false teeth, designed by his dentist Sir Wilfred Fish, are expected to sell for between $10,400 and $16,600, when they go under the hammer on February 6 at The Cotswold Auction Company.

The upper dentures were created to protect his natural lisp and were used during a number of famous speeches, including the We Shall Fight on the Beaches address.

“This set of dentures would have been made around the start of World War II when Churchill was 65,” the listing said.

He suffered with dental issues throughout his life after losing a number of teeth in his 20s.

The auction house understands that up to four sets of teeth will have been made for Churchill and at least one buried with him.

Churchill suffered dental problems most of his life and lost several teeth during his 20s. Photo / The Cotswold Auction Company

The microphone he used on VE Day to announce the end of World War II in Europe is also going on sale.

Following the war, the microphone went on display at an American restaurant.

It has been mounted on a wooden plinth, which has a brash plate which includes the inscription “The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. Winston S Churchill”.

It is expected that the microphone will end up going for between $10,400 and $16,600.

The dentures were used by Churchill as he delivered the wartime speech in which he vowed: “We shall fight on the beaches.”

They were made by dental technician Derek Cudlipp using the design of Fish.

Cudlipp also created a spare set, which was later donated to the odontological collection at the Royal College of Surgeons’ Hunterian Museum in London.

“A well-fitting denture was a crucial physical and psychological prop,” according to the museum.

It added: “It allowed him to speak effectively – a vital attribute for any politician, and especially for one whose speaking skills were so central to his success.

“Throughout his adult life Churchill was haunted by the fear of losing his ability to speak.”

Whatever price is achieved at the auction, it is unlikely to threaten the world record amount for a set of dentures of $184,600.

The luxury set of false teeth were made in Dubai using 25-carat gold and 160 diamonds together weighing 2.5 carats.