Celebrity fans have long been willing to pay top dollar for a piece of their favorite stars, but a new study suggests the collectibles market has reached increasingly bizarre territory, with everything from Justin Bieber's hair to garbage reportedly collected outside Taylor Swift's wedding venue changing hands for thousands of dollars.
The research, released in July by online entertainment platform JB.com, ranked the strangest celebrity memorabilia ever sold by analyzing confirmed and widely reported sales. Researchers considered each item's sale price, media attention, and how unusual it was compared with traditional celebrity collectibles before assigning an overall score.
Topping the list is a lock of Justin Bieber's hair, which was famously auctioned by Ellen DeGeneres on eBay in 2011 after the singer appeared on her daytime talk show. The hair sold for more than $40,700, with proceeds benefiting charity, making it the highest-ranked item in the study.
Coming in second was internet personality Belle Delphine's infamous "Gamer Girl Bath Water." Originally sold for about $30 per jar in 2019, some resale listings later climbed as high as $90,000, helping turn the stunt into one of the internet's most talked-about merchandising campaigns.
Actor William Shatner claimed third place after auctioning a kidney stone removed during surgery in 2006. The unusual keepsake sold for $25,000, with the proceeds benefiting Habitat for Humanity.
Rihanna ranked fourth thanks to a cracked iPhone she accidentally dropped during an NBA game in 2014. After signing the damaged device courtside, it was auctioned for approximately $66,500 to raise money for the Los Angeles Police Foundation.
Britney Spears rounded out the top five with an allegedly used pregnancy test that sold for around $5,000 in 2005 after a radio station claimed it had been recovered from a hotel room where the pop star had stayed. Although the item's authenticity was never confirmed, it remains one of the most unusual celebrity sales ever reported.
The study also highlighted several more recent examples that illustrate how celebrity collectibles continue evolving in the social media era.
Sydney Sweeney made headlines in 2025 after partnering on a limited run of soap bars infused with her bathwater. While the products originally retailed for just $8 each, resale listings reportedly reached as much as $2,000 per bar, with the total resale market estimated at roughly $40,000.
Russell Crowe also appeared in the ranking thanks to a leather jockstrap worn during filming that later sold for about $7,000, while Britney Spears made a second appearance with a piece of allegedly chewed gum that reportedly fetched $14,000.
The list's most recent entry belongs to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
Following reports surrounding the couple's wedding festivities in 2026, sellers began offering what they described as "Pocket Garbage" cubes containing street trash allegedly collected outside the reported wedding venue. The novelty items were listed online for about $25 each, with the study estimating total sales reached approximately $1,250 as the unusual souvenirs spread across social media.
J.K. Rowling's original Harry Potter writing chair completed the top 10. Unlike many of the novelty items on the list, the chair carries literary significance and sold for nearly $394,000, making it the most valuable object included in the ranking.
According to JB.com, the growing market reflects how celebrity culture has evolved alongside social media, where even ordinary objects can become coveted collectibles if they are connected to a high-profile figure.
The company noted that fans are no longer the only buyers fueling the trend. Increasingly, collectors are treating celebrity memorabilia as speculative investments, betting that viral moments and pop culture milestones will continue driving resale values higher. From half-eaten food to bathwater products and even street garbage, the line between memorabilia and novelty appears to be growing blurrier with each headline-making sale.
