10 Strangest Insurance Policies Lloyd's of London Has Ever Written (Not Just Celebrities)

Last Updated on September 14, 2026 by Syed Sarim Naqvi

Quick answer: Yes, Lloyd’s of London — the same specialty insurance market behind most celebrity leg and voice policies — has also insured things far stranger than a body part: alien abduction, a golfer’s hole-in-one, and a wine expert’s nose. Here are the wildest examples on record, all sourced.

The List at a Glance
The Stories
Why Lloyd’s Insures Almost Anything
FAQ

The List at a Glance

Policyholder	What Was Insured	Reported Value	Year
Ilja Gort (winemaker)	Nose & sense of smell	€5 million	2008
Jimmy Durante (comedian)	Nose	$50,000	1930s
Ben Turpin (silent film actor)	Crossed eyes (against going straight)	$20,000	1920s
Costa Coffee’s chief taster	Taste buds	£10 million	2009
Golf tournament organizers	Hole-in-one prize payouts	Varies (prize indemnity)	Ongoing
Various policyholders	“Alien abduction” claims	Novelty policy	Ongoing

The Stories

The Winemaker Who Insured His Nose for €5 Million

Dutch winemaker Ilja Gort’s entire profession depends on a functioning sense of smell, so in 2008 he reportedly took out a €5 million policy on his nose through Lloyd’s of London — one of the clearest examples of a genuinely function-driven specialty policy in this list.

Jimmy Durante’s Famous “Schnozzle”

Comedian Jimmy Durante’s oversized nose was central to his stage persona, and he reportedly insured it for $50,000 in the 1930s — one of the earliest recorded celebrity body-part policies.

Ben Turpin’s Crossed Eyes — Insured Against Going Straight

Silent film comedian Ben Turpin’s signature crossed eyes were his career. In a wonderfully specific twist, he reportedly took out a policy that would pay out $20,000 if his eyes ever uncrossed and straightened — insurance against getting better, essentially.

Costa Coffee’s £10 Million Taste Buds

Professional tasters for major food and drink brands are some of the most literal examples of “your body part is your job.” Costa Coffee reportedly insured its chief taster’s palate for £10 million in 2009, joining a small club of beverage and confectionery companies that have done the same for key staff.

Prize Indemnity Insurance: The Hole-in-One Problem

Ever wonder how a golf tournament can offer a car or a six-figure cash prize for a hole-in-one without going bankrupt if someone actually pins it? That’s prize indemnity insurance — a Lloyd’s specialty — which calculates the statistical odds of the shot happening and prices a policy accordingly. It’s the same underwriting logic as body-part insurance, just applied to a moment instead of a body part.

Alien Abduction Insurance

Yes, this exists. Lloyd’s-linked underwriters have reportedly written novelty policies that would pay out on “credible evidence” of alien abduction. Nobody has ever successfully proven a claim, which is exactly the point — it’s a low-risk, high-curiosity product that generates more press coverage than payouts.

Why Lloyd’s Insures Almost Anything

Lloyd’s of London isn’t a single insurance company — it’s a marketplace where independent underwriting syndicates compete to price and accept unusual risks that standard insurers won’t touch. If a risk can be quantified, even loosely, a syndicate will usually price it. That’s the same underlying logic covered in our guide to 10 hidden secrets of body-part insurance underwriting — valuation, risk assessment, and premium pricing apply whether the asset is a leg, a nose, or a hole-in-one shot.

For more on how this connects back to celebrity policies specifically, see Celebrity Body Parts Insurance Companies 2026 and Dark Side Celebrity Body Insurance Exposed.

FAQ

Is alien abduction insurance a real, payable policy?

Novelty policies like this have been sold, but they’re generally understood as a marketing curiosity rather than a serious risk product — no verified claim has ever been paid out.

Can a normal person get a policy like Ilja Gort’s nose insurance?

In theory, yes — if you can demonstrate your income genuinely depends on that specific sense or function, a specialty underwriter may price a policy. In practice, premiums are high and underwriting is strict.

Why does Lloyd’s specifically show up in so many of these stories?

Lloyd’s of London operates as a marketplace for unusual, hard-to-price risks, which makes it the default venue for anything standard insurers won’t underwrite — including bizarre body-part and novelty policies.