Blog Post
Celebrities and the Body Parts they’ve Insured
November 18, 2011 | Dan Farrell
How do you put a price on a body part – someone’s hair, teeth, legs? Believe it or not, these are valid questions for a brand spokesperson whose livelihood depends on a particular physical attribute that helps sell or promote a product or service.
It may sound crazy, but many celebrities and athletes have insured different parts of their bodies. As an agent or carrier, how do you put a price on these types of hard-to-value items?
An article in Property Casualty 360 discusses a handful of different celebrities that insured body parts believed to be their most valuable assets. Here are just a few:
Hair
As the spokesperson for Head & Shoulders shampoo, Troy Polamalu from the Pittsburgh Steelers insured his hair last year for $1 million.
Teeth
Ugly Betty actress, America Ferrara, had her teeth insured for $10 million in 2007 while she was the spokesperson for Aquafresh White Trays.
Eyes
Back in the 1920s Ben Turpin, a silent movie actor, was famous for his crossed eyes. He took out a policy for $20,000 to ensure his eyes stayed crossed.
Hard-to-value items are not limited to fine arts, antiques and other memorabilia and they take special measures for carriers and agents to properly value.
What’s the most bizarre item you had to insure?
