A rare lock of hair from Bob Marley is expected to sell for as much as £25,000 when it goes under the hammer in Jersey next week.
The 1.5-inch dreadlock, taken during a 1978 recording of Top of the Pops, is being auctioned by St Helier-based company JC Auctions.
It is the first authenticated piece of the reggae legend’s hair to be offered for sale in more than two decades.
According to the auction house, the hair was obtained by a teenage fan who approached Bob Marley after his performance with the Wailers at BBC Television Centre.
The band had been recording their single Satisfy My Soul when the encounter took place.
The seller said: “After Bob Marley had finished singing, myself and a friend went up onto the platform where he was performing.
“He was chuckling away and I asked if I could take off a piece of his hair. He just kept nodding and chuckling and appeared amused by it, so I twisted a piece of his dreadlock off.
“And he, of course, gave me his autograph as well.”
That autograph, valued at around £4,000 on its own, will be included in the lot.
Paul Fraser of JC Auctions said demand for Bob Marley memorabilia remains high, partly due to the scarcity of personal items linked to the singer, who died in 1981 at the age of 36.
“We’re honoured to bring Bob Marley’s hair to auction,” he said.
“Marley ignited global awareness of Rastafarianism and dreadlocks, and brought the religious significance of the hairstyle to the world’s attention. This lock is the physical embodiment of that legacy.”
He added: “We’re seeing a real boom in hair collecting. Collectors love owning a genuine part of their heroes.”
The lock is one of more than 50 rare pieces of history that feature in The Memorabilia Auction, which runs online until Thursday 9 April.