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Mystery Buyer Splashes Out Thousands On Sperm Whale Penis At Auction

Mystery Buyer Splashes Out Thousands On Sperm Whale Penis At Auction

The Out of The Ordinary auction boasted some of the weirdest objects from around the world

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

Watching Antiques Roadshow or Cash in The Attic you could be forgiven for thinking that auctions were made up of either old vases or old clocks, well, the Out of The Ordinary auction has certainly bucked the trend.

Yet, despite boasting all manner of weird and wonderful objects from around the globe, the most notable entry was a 1.67m long sperm whale penis which sold for £4,600.

Unsurprisingly, the bidder preferred to remain anonymous.

And this was just the tip of the iceberg, with a bunch of peculiar items selling for a combined total of £284,440.

Another private buyer spent an incredible £13,000 on a complete cave bear skeleton - an Ice Age mammal that died out 27,000 years ago.

While yet another anonymous bidder splashed out £20,000 on an 8ft polar bear.

According to a spokesperson from Sworders in Essex, where the auction was being held, taxidermy - preserving of an animal's body by stuffing for the purpose of display or study - 'has undergone a collecting renaissance in the past decade'.

The huge sperm whale penis was snapped up by an anonymous buyer for £4,600 at auction.
SWNS

They said: "Taxidermy eccentricities are a particularly buoyant niche.

"It appeals to both collectors and to interior designers looking to make bold interior statements.

"The extraordinary furniture of Mark Brazier-Jones (b.1956) is displayed in many international museums.

"The pieces were offered here had been acquired by the owner when he worked with Brazier-Jones as a graphic designer."

As well as the mix of animal parts, the auction also saw one of Michael Jackson's stage costumes, including a jumpsuit, helmet, gloves and trainers worn during the 1992-93 Dangerous tour, up for grabs.

The stuffed polar bear was a number of strange animal pieces that were bought during the auction.
SWNS

The outfit, which the King of Pop wore during his second world concert tour, also featured throughout his other concerts, and was taken home by a bidder from Japan for £16,000.

A Sworders spokesperson added: "During his performance, the prince of pop had appeared on stage in this costume with a jetpack attached to his back before proceeding to fly out of the arena."

As well as these stand out pieces, there were a number of other items on sale during the auction, including an aluminium lounge chair, two squirrels in a display preparing food, a series of five photographs taken by fashion photographer David Bailey, two wing tips from a Cathay Pacific 747 aeroplane, and a collection of French postcards.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: World News, UK News, Music, Interesting, UK Entertainment, US Entertainment, Animals