More Valuable Than Gold? World's Most Expensive Feather Sold In New Zealand For Rs 23 Lakh!

Valuable things don¡¯t have a price tag, right? Well, not all of them. Some are so expensive that they can leave a big hole in the buyer¡¯s pocket. Recently, a rare feather from an extinct New Zealand Huia bird got auctioned for a whopping 28,000 dollars(Rs 23 Lakh).

This most expensive feather which weighs 9 grams has exceeded the value of even gold, as per The Guardian. If you calculate 10 grams of gold in India, it comes out to Rs 68,000(give or take). Going by the math, the cost of this feather is equivalent to over 300grams of Gold!

The feather was included in Webb's live Material Culture auction in Auckland, showcasing indigenous arts, crafts, and designs. Initially valued at a humble NZ$2,000-NZ$3,000, intense competition among collectors led to a final sale price exceeding 15 times the anticipated amount.

Also Read: This Unique Mobile Number Sold For Rs 7 Crore At An Auction In Dubai

All You Need To Know About Huia Bird

webb's

The Huia, a unique wattlebird native to New Zealand, was recognized for its striking black glossy plumage and elongated tail feathers adorned with white tips. The species gained attention for its distinct appearance. However, the last verified sighting of a living Huia occurred in 1907. There are suggestions that the species might have endured until the 1920s before ultimately succumbing to extinction.

"The huia is an extinct bird. The last confirmed sighting in Aotearoa was in 1907," Webb's decorative arts specialist Florence S Fournier told the Morning Report. "This feather is at least 100 years old and has come from a private collection. It's been with the vendor for some time, and they now feel it's time to move it on so some other person can enjoy it."

Before European colonization, the distinctive tail feathers of the Huia held significance and were utilized by esteemed chiefs and their families in New Zealand. Following the arrival of Europeans, the demand for these feathers surged, contributing in part to the decline of the species, as noted by Webb's.

Also Read: Lights, Camera, Auction! Rs 25 Crore Gets You A New Home Right Next To Amitabh Bachchan's Jalsa

Feathers Getting Auctioned Isn¡¯t A New Thing

webbs

According to the New Zealand Herald, the former highest-priced feather sold at auction was from the American bald eagle, which sold for NZ$4,000 (approximately US$2,600) in the same 2020 auction where a Huia feather fetched NZ$8,000 (approximately US$5,200).