HMS Bounty wood sold for $11,250 at Bonhams

A fragment of wood from the HMS Bounty sold for $11,250 in Bonhams' Travel and Exploration sale in New York on September 20.

It had originally been valued at $6,000, a projection it beat by 87.5%.

HMS Bounty wood
The fragment of wood likely originates from the hull of the vessel

The lot was one of a series of artefacts from the vessel recovered from the sea bed around Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific.

The Bounty set sail from England in 1789, under the command of William Bligh. It was intended to transport a cargo of breadfruit seedlings from Tahiti to the Caribbean.

However, following an extended stopover on the island paradise of Tahiti, the crew decided they'd had enough of the rigours of ship life.

Led by first mate Fletcher Christian they staged a mutiny, leaving Bligh and his officers in a rowing boat while they sailed off to nearby Pitcairn Island.

They then stripped the Bounty of its assets and scuppered it.  

Their descendants live on Pitcairn to this day.

A silver Spanish coin, also found on the wreck, made $9,375 (up 212.5% on a $3,000 estimate). A set of four miscellaneous metal objects realised $4,375.

All three lots were originally collected by explorer and National Geographic photographer Luis Marden, who discovered the wreck in 1957.

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