After accumulating dust for almost a decade, a jar of five pig foetuses sold for an eye-watering £1200.
There were many of uncommon and strange things available for sale on the debut episode of The Greatest Auction, but one of the most attention-grabbing ones came in the form of foetuses.
When the item was first introduced, it was explained that it had been collecting dust on a shelf in an antiquarian bookshop for the previous ten years.
The ‘perfectly preserved’ pigs were brought in by bookseller Adam on behalf of his boss, who had acquired the item from someone in Germany who was ‘blowing up a scientific collection’.
He described them as “top quality” and “really strangely beautiful…although strange.”
He said that, while some would think they were ghastly, he thought they were magnificent.
‘They are little jewel like piggies,’ he said.
Adam said that while they would have been maintained for medical reasons, they may now be used as art.
Henry Scragg, the proprietor of an art dealer and oddity business, was one among the potential bidders. He already had a ‘real two-headed pickled baby’ named Bob and Bob.
‘Most people wouldn’t see the beauty in a jar of pickled pigs, or at least they would be afraid to admit they like it because then they might be deemed a weirdo by the general public, but I think they are lovely little specimens,’ he said.
Another individual who displayed interest was dealer Ed, who indicated that he already had several odd objects in his collection, including a big mammoth left femur.
When it came to the auction, it was over in a few bids, but Henry wasn’t about to let them go without a fight, and his price of £1200 was approved.
‘I wasn’t expecting to win them, but I thought I’d make a cheeky offer and see how it goes,’ he explained after winning.
‘Foetal pigs?’ said one audience member following the segment. ‘You don’t get that on Antiques Roadshow.’
The new eight-part series, presented by AJ Odudu, has millionaires, private collectors, and antique merchants bidding on the most amazing things for sale in a specially designed auction house.
A taxidermy unicorn, a Louis Vuitton skateboard, a flawless Hermes purse, and an Elton John pinball machine are among the next offerings.
The Greatest Auction is streaming on All4.
