$7,000 for Taylor Swift's Chair, $1,000 for Cher's Toothbrush & $960 for Diane Keaton's Nail Clippers?

Celebrity auctions create a universe where ordinary objects transform into prized treasures the moment a famous person interacts with them. Used tissues, old teeth, a toothbrush, a toilet, a jockstrap and even a kidney stone all become coveted collectibles once a celebrity leaves a trace. The entire concept feels like a carnival of human enthusiasm, and the best way to understand it is to begin with a chair Taylor Swift sat in for a few hours.

During Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Taylor Swift attended the matchup with Travis Kelce and enjoyed the action courtside. After the game, the Cleveland Cavaliers partnered with memorabilia marketplace The Realest to auction the actual chairs used by Swift and other celebrities. The chairs were not autographed, customized or decorated. They were simply the seats used during the game. The Realest authenticated Swift's chair, and when bidding closed, it reached an astonishing $7,000. Kelce's chair reached $1,405, Kylie Jenner's reached $1,505, Timothée Chalamet's reached $1,202 and Ben Stiller's reached $732. The chairs were identical, yet the stories attached to them created wildly different results. A portion of Swift's chair proceeds supported Heights Schools Foundation initiatives, adding a charitable highlight to the most valuable used courtside seat of the season. The entire event set the tone for a journey through the wonderfully eccentric world of celebrity memorabilia.

Diane Keaton's estate auction at Bonhams in 2026 offered a wide range of items from her career, including her original Annie Hall script and her trademark hats. Among these treasures sat Lot 2182, a simple box containing safety pins, hair pins and Diane Keaton's nail clippers. Estimated at $200, the box ultimately sold for $960 including buyer's premium. The winning bidder celebrated the purchase and planned to display the box proudly, adding it to a collection that already included Whoopi Goldberg's teapot. Celebrity collecting clearly offers a ladder of enthusiasm, and some collectors climb every rung.

Diane Keaton. Her 2026 estate auction included an unusual box of personal items containing safety pins, hair pins and her nail clippers.

Cher contributed a toothbrush to an art project in the 1980s, complete with a handwritten note confirming ownership. The faux-tortoiseshell Radius toothbrush later appeared at Heritage Auctions in 2013, accompanied by glue residue from its time in the artwork. It sold for $1,000, proving that even a bathroom item can become a prized artifact when paired with a celebrity's handwriting and a bit of history.

Cher's Radius toothbrush accompanied by her handwritten ownership note. The toothbrush sold for $1,000 at Heritage Auctions.

Scarlett Johansson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in December 2008 while dealing with a cold she believed came from Samuel L. Jackson during filming of The Spirit. She blew her nose into a tissue during the show, and instead of heading for a trash can, the tissue headed for eBay. Bidding began at 99 cents and climbed through 83 bids until it reached $5,300. USA Harvest received the proceeds, creating a moment where a used tissue became a charitable triumph.

Scarlett Johansson with the tissue auctioned for charity after her 2008 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Russell Crowe's 2018 Sotheby's Australia auction, titled The Art of Divorce, featured artwork, watches, jewelry, movie costumes and musical instruments. It also featured a leather jockstrap Crowe wore in the 2005 film Cinderella Man. Estimated at $500 to $600, the jockstrap soared to $7,000 after spirited competition. John Oliver's Last Week Tonight purchased the jockstrap along with other Crowe items and arranged for the memorabilia to be displayed at a Blockbuster Video store in Alaska. The journey from Crowe to Cinderella Man to Sotheby's to John Oliver to Blockbuster created one of the most entertaining travel routes ever achieved by a piece of athletic gear.

John Lennon's time at Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire between 1969 and 1972 produced one of the most unusual celebrity collectibles ever offered. A builder named John Hancock replaced a porcelain toilet in Lennon's home, and Lennon encouraged him to keep the old one and use it as a plant pot. Hancock kept it for roughly 40 years. In 2010, the toilet appeared at an auction associated with the annual Beatles Convention in Liverpool. Estimated at £1,000, it sold for £9,500. The provenance was simple and direct, and the result created a collector who can proudly announce ownership of John Lennon's toilet.

The porcelain toilet removed from John Lennon's Tittenhurst Park home and later sold at auction for £9,500.

Lennon also contributed a molar to auction history. Removed during the 1960s, the tooth ended up with his housekeeper Dot Jarlett, who kept it for decades. In 2011, Canadian dentist Michael Zuk purchased the tooth for approximately $31,000 and planned to display it and take it to dental schools. Lennon's music traveled the world, and now one of his teeth enjoyed a similar itinerary.

Justin Bieber's haircut in 2011 produced another memorable moment. After cutting his famous hair, Bieber gave some of it to Ellen DeGeneres in a signed box. The hair went to eBay to raise money for The Gentle Barn Foundation, attracting 98 bids and reaching $40,668. The winning bidder also received the opportunity to meet Bieber during a future appearance on Ellen, creating a combination of celebrity interaction and charitable support that turned a haircut into a headline.

Marilyn Monroe's 1954 visit to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital produced three X-rays that later appeared at Julien's Auctions in 2010. Estimated at $800 to $1,200 apiece, the films reached a combined $45,000. At the same auction, a chair from Monroe's last photo shoot sold for $35,000, creating a moment where even furniture stepped aside for the allure of Monroe's medical imagery.

William Shatner contributed one of the most unforgettable items in celebrity auction history. In 2005, he passed a kidney stone and later agreed to sell it to online casino GoldenPalace.com for $25,000, with proceeds supporting Habitat for Humanity. Julien's Auctions handled the sale, and Shatner humorously compared the value of the stone to his Star Trek memorabilia. The transaction created a moment where a kidney stone helped fund a house, adding a remarkable twist to the world of celebrity collectibles.

The kidney stone associated with William Shatner's unusual 2005 charity sale.

All of these stories highlight the true engine behind celebrity auctions: provenance. The objects themselves hold simple forms and everyday functions, yet the stories attached to them create extraordinary value. Taylor Swift's chair, Diane Keaton's nail clippers, Cher's toothbrush, Scarlett Johansson's tissue, Russell Crowe's jockstrap, John Lennon's toilet and tooth, Justin Bieber's hair, Marilyn Monroe's X-rays and William Shatner's kidney stone all demonstrate the same principle. The object remains ordinary, and the story transforms it into something unforgettable.

Celebrity auctions reveal a world where value rises from narrative, authenticity and enthusiasm. When two determined bidders decide they absolutely must own a piece of a celebrity's story, the results become spectacular. A chair reaches $7,000, a tooth reaches $31,000, hair reaches $40,668 and a tissue reaches $5,300. The next time an ordinary object sits quietly in a corner of the house, it may be worth pausing for a moment and considering a single possibility. Taylor Swift may have sat on something just like it.