There are few artists in the world that command such levels of devotion as The Beatles, especially John Lennon. In 40 years, a hoard of ageing 1D fans could be buying and selling trivial items and body parts via online auction sites with the same intensity, but for now the Fab Four still cause the most excitement in the sale rooms and the biggest profits. This week the item in question is something that is oddly traditional and 'normal' for fans – a lock of John Lennon's Hair.

A British fan has paid thousands for Lennon's hair in Texas.

It is claimed that this lock of hair is the largest ever to have gone up for sale at auction and it was snapped up by a keen British bidder, Paul Fraser, at Heritage Auctions in Dallas.

A large tuft of musical genius' hair does not come cheep: Fraser paid $35,000 for the lot. It is all about the provenance with celebrity memorabilia; in other words, dealers have to prove it. It is no good simply saying that this lock of hair came from the head of Lennon and expecting fans to believe you, although many would jump at the chance of buying it even if there is a chance that it actually came from his understudy, the hairdresser themselves or their pet dog. In this case, this well-travelled piece of hair was seemingly collected during a haircut for Lennon's role on the film 'How I Won The War' in Germany and there is a “before” photo as proof of the event. The photo was sold separately and it alone made $2,125.

Other runaway Beatles lots at the sale included an unused ticket for their first US show for $30,000 a signed photo for $42,500.

It seems that fans will pay for pretty much anything if it offers them a closer connection to their hero. In 2011, a Canadian dentist became the proud owner of one of Lennon's molars after paying £19,500 for the item via an online UK auction house.

Rather than keep it on the shelf with other collectables, Zuk kept it with other items containing celebrity DNA and spoke of his desire to experiment with cloning. By comparison, this ordinary lock of hair seems pretty dull.