NAMES IN THE NEWS : Classical Locks of Hair Bring $17,700

LONDON — Locks of hair from the heads of Mozart and Beethoven fetched a record $17,700 at auction today.

Sotheby’s auction house said a London antique dealer bought a lock of Mozart’s brown hair and Beethoven’s gray hair encased in a single frame. “This is certainly the highest price ever paid at an auction for a lock of anybody’s hair,” said Stephen Row, Sotheby’s music expert.

He said only two other locks of Mozart’s hair, more rare than Beethoven’s, had been offered for sale this century.