Justin Bieber pre-haircut: This is the coiffed head from which the shorn locks were harvested.
Justin Bieber's legions of fans can no longer say the teen sensation's famous hair is priceless.
A lock of Bieber's hair that was salvaged from his recent haircut sold for $40,668 (US) on Wednesday, with the winning bid coming from the online casino GoldenPalace.com.
The hair was enclosed in a Plexiglas box signed by the Stratford, Ont., singer.
The auction was inspired after talk show host Ellen DeGeneres tweeted that she wanted a lock of Bieber's hair for her birthday, and the two-time Grammy nominee then appeared on her show to deliver the gift.
Proceeds from the auction will go to the Gentle Barn Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides a safe haven for abused children and farm animals.
GoldenPalace.com has won similarly high-profile auctions in the past, including the purchase of Montreal-raised TV star William Shatner's kidney stone.