Upper tooth thought to be Napoleon’s is auctioned

LONDON – A tooth believed to have been pulled from Napoleon’s mouth was sold Thursday at auction in London for about $22,600.

The tooth, part of a small collection of Napoleon Bonaparte items at the sale, was bought by a private collector from England who asked to remain anonymous, said Chris Albury from Dominic Winter, an auction house in Swindon, southwest England.

Albury said the previous owner, who died recently, was a Napoleonic scholar.

The tooth came with papers tracing it back to Napoleon’s physician Barry O’Meara, who apparently extracted it from the former French emperor’s mouth in 1817 during Napoleon’s exile on the British island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. Napoleon died on the island four years later.

O’Meara passed the tooth on to Gen. Maceroni, aide to the King of Naples, who was married to Napoleon’s youngest sister Caroline.

The last owner acquired the tooth from Maceroni’s great-granddaughter, Cecilia White, in 1956.

The upper right canine tooth, which is somewhat worn and shows signs of decay in the center, is still attached to its root.

Other items in the sale included a marble bust of Napoleon, an ivory figurine, painted miniatures, engravings and books. The whole collection sold for more than $38,000, Albury said.