You've probably seen them on trips to the beach: people with metal-detector machines in hand, trying to find some buried treasure, big or small, under the depths of the sand. You've probably thought to yourself that they're wasting their time.
After all, what are the chances of actually finding something of value by simply walking along the beach? Pretty slim, if you ask me!
While they may be so, it's important to note what may or may not be of value. We tend to think of pretty things, like gold or silver, or even ancient artifacts. But did you know that vomit is also weirdly valuable?
That's whale vomit, to be exact!
Whale vomit, as well as feces, are both extremely rare and valuable. Occasionally, huge chunks of the substances wash up on shore, and take the form of hard, gray blocks.
One man and his son were walking along the coast near Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, when they came across a particularly large specimen. Alan and Tom Derrick picked up the waxy rock, thinking that it was whale excrement. Alan read that this could be sold at high value.
But upon further investigation, the duo soon discovered that it was actually whale vomit, or ambergris. This particularly stinky substance is very valuable in the making of perfumes. Their chunk weighed in at 2.5 lbs. Its value is estimated to be around $85,000 — the value at which it is currently on auction on eBay!
Please SHARE if you had no idea that whale vomit could be so valuable!
