Churchill's choppers up for auction in England

[July 29, 2010]  LONDON (AP) -- A partial set of false teeth used by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to maintain his distinctive speaking style is going under the hammer.

The upper dentures were specially made for the World War II British leader.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England, which exhibits a second set in a London museum, says the dentures were designed to be loose-fitting so that Churchill could preserve the natural slurred lisp that he became famous for in wartime radio broadcasts.

Keys Auctioneers says the set of dentures on sale Thursday is being sold by the son of the dental technician who was commissioned to make them.

The false teeth are estimated to fetch between 4,000 pounds and 5,000 pounds ($6,200 and $7,800).

[Associated Press]

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