A piece of whale vomit has auctioned for £11,000 ($16,713).
A dog walker found the 2.4-pound chunk of ambergris - to give it its correct name - on a beach in Anglesey, Wales.
 Sales of the wax-like substance are banned in the US |
The rare item, which had come to auction with a £7,000 estimate, sold at Adam Partridge auctioneers on September 25 to a British buyer.
The eye wateringly smelly substance is used to produce high-end perfumes - a likely factor in its strong showing.
"We've had lots of unusual items pass through the doors over the years, but this is by far the weirdest," auctioneer Adam Partridge told the BBC.
A sperm whale produces ambergris to coat otherwise irritating objects in its intestines. The whale then excretes it in the form of faeces or vomit.
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