LONDON - A set of solid gold false teeth used by British wartime leader Winston Churchill during some of his most famous speeches sold for 16,000 pounds (19,100 euros, $25,500) at auction on Wednesday.

Churchill had problems with his teeth and speech from an early age and the dentures were designed to compensate for the then-prime minister's distinctive lisp when speaking in public, London auctioneers Bonham's said.

The premier's most famous speeches "could have been made over the top of these teeth. I think that's a rather spooky feeling," Bonham's specialist Lionel Willis told AFP.

"These particular dentures were designed especially by his dentist to be a loose fix because Churchill had had trouble with his teeth, ever since a child," he said.

"He always has a sort of speech impediment, which gave him a slight lisp, when he was public speaking, and this denture was designed to compensate."

Another set of Churchill's false teeth fetched 18,000 pounds when they went under the hammer in July last year.

Churchill was said to have also used his false teeth to vent his frustration when the 1939-45 conflict was not going well by dramatically flicking them out of his mouth.