Source: BBC
Summary
A taxidermied animal head initially mistaken for a fox sold for £62,600 ($82,000) after being identified as a Tasmanian tiger. The item, purchased for £50, was discovered to be one of only 101 surviving specimens. The auction house in Bristol, England, reported the sale. The Tasmanian tiger, a marsupial, became extinct in the 1930s. The head was displayed at the buyer’s Curiosity Cabinet in Essex.
Our Reading
The habit gets a new name.
People buy stuff without knowing what it is.
Googly eyes make everything valuable.
Extinct animals are hot right now.
Old taxidermy is the new luxury.
Buying a fox turned out to be a tiger of a deal.
Author: Evan Null
How to Spot a Lost Cause
The auction house didn’t know what it had. The buyer didn’t either. The tiger was extinct, but the deal wasn’t. The price went up, the eyes stayed googly. People still don’t know what they’re buying. The tiger’s gone, but the money’s still there.
The Value of Ignorance
People will pay for anything if it looks weird. The fox was a mistake, but the tiger was a hit. The buyer thought they were funny, but they ended up rich. The auction house didn’t see it coming. The tiger didn’t either.
Why Googly Eyes Matter
Googly eyes make everything more valuable. The fox looked silly, the tiger looked rare. The buyer saw the eyes, bought the head. The tiger was extinct, but the deal was alive. The eyes were the hook, the price was the reward.
The Price of Mistakes
Mistakes can be profitable. The buyer thought they were being clever. The tiger was a mistake, but the money was real. The auction house didn’t know what it had. The tiger didn’t either. The price was high, the value was higher.
The New Luxury
Old things are new again. Taxidermy is in. Extinct animals are hot. The buyer didn’t know what they had, but they knew what it was worth. The tiger was gone, but the money stayed. The eyes were the only thing that mattered.
