Movember comes early this year.

An Australian man is selling his "luscious and captivating" beard for $1 million to raise money for skin cancer research after his friend died from the disease.

Sydney's Scott Maggs, better known as the bearded Jimmy Niggles, launched the campaign — dubbed This Is Beard — to honor Wes Bonny, who died shortly after his diagnosis.

"When he found out he had a melanoma on his neck, he got it cut out and he thought he might be alright for a while. It was just, like, so quick," Maggs told the Daily Mail. "After Wes passed away, we were saying we need to get the message out there that skin cancer can happen to anyone."

Maggs began growing his impressive beard in 2009, shortly after Bonny's death.

"Basically no one was growing a beard back then," he explained, "so we said let's all grow beards and every time someone asks us about this stupid thing growing on our face we can share Wes' story."

The effort has since gone viral, with supporters sharing photos of their own facial growth using the hashtag #beardseason. Maggs posts photos with fellow bearded supporters — and descriptions of their beards — on the campaign's Instagram feed and Facebook page.

Emboldened (and possibly itchy), Maggs recently put what he calls "the most valuable beard in the world" up for sale, with a seven-figure asking price:

This beard is one of the most valuable fields of facial follicles known to man. Not only is it a luscious and captivating neck-mane of rich mahogany and buoyant masculinity, an artwork within itself, this beard has (and will continue to) save countless amounts of lives.

[...]

As the new owner, you may have the beard shaved by a an expert team of taxidermists, art restorers and forensic scientists. Painstakingly reconstructed and mounted within a framed glass case. Or, you may choose to have it remain on the host, and use it (within limits) as you see fit.



This is a rare and momentous opportunity to own the world’s first #milliondollarbeard, and support a movement which encourages people to have their skin checked for melanoma and enjoy the sun a whole lot smarter.









Charitable beard-growing is nothing new. The Movember movement — which began in Australia in 2003 — has gone global in recent years, with more than 4 million men and women participating in the "no-shave November" campaign to raise awareness for men's health.

Maggs' campaign is part of a similar movement, beard season, which invites men to grow their beards during Australia's winter months.