Most expensive skull

The skull of Emanuel Swedenborg (Sweden, 1688-1772), the philosopher and theologian, was bought in London, UK by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for £5,500 (then US$10,664) on 6 March 1978. Fluent in eleven languages, Swedenborg devoted the first half of his life to scientific investigations. His spiritual writing influenced Emerson, Goethe, Henry James Sr., Dostoevsky, and William Blake. During his life, Swedenborg published over 50 works. His books have been translated into some thirty languages. Swedenborg died in London on 29 March 1772, aged 84. His physical body was interred in the Swedish church in London. When this church was demolished in 1908, the coffin was taken to Sweden and placed with honour in a magnificent marble sarcophagus in Upsala cathedral. In recent times, interest has been aroused about Swedenborg's skull. It is true that, while the body was lying in the vaults of the Swedish church in London, the skull was removed by a Swedish sailor who hoped to make some money by selling it as a relic. After the thief's death in Sweden, the skull was returned to London, but before being put back in the coffin, it was exhibited in a phrenological collection. The story goes that the wrong one was actually replaced, while the genuine skull was put up for sale in an antique shop.