A rotten tooth John Lennon had removed in the '60s hits the auction block next week. The reserve price has been set at $16,000. NBC New York reports:

The biter was handed down to Dorothy "Dot" Jarlett when she worked as Lennon's housekeeper at his home in Surrey, according to her son Barry. Jarlett was employed between 1964 and 1968, when giving teeth to the help was all the rage among the world's most famous rockers.

"She was very close with John, and one day whilst chatting in the kitchen, John gave my mother the tooth (he had been to the dentist to have it removed that day) and suggested giving it to my sister as a souvenir, as she was a huge Beatles fan," he said. "It has been in the family ever since."

Ah yes, the longstanding tradition of family heirloom rich people body relics. Above, an image of the tooth in question. Somewhere, Lindsay Lohan is counting her teeth, trying to figure out which one she lost. [NBC-NY, CNN, image via Splash]