Anybody looking to blow some money on some rather unique artifacts will have a great shot at Christie's in South Kensington, London on April 24. The auction house will be putting up a rare fossilized dodo bird femur and a sub-fossilized Elephant bird egg for eager buyers.
The dodo bird femur bird is first dodo bone to be auctioned off since 1934, according to Christie's. It stems from an excavation by George Clark in Mare aux Songes, in southeast Mauritius back in 1865, and is estimated to be valued between $15,000 and $22,000 based on today's current exchange rate between the pound and the dollar.
"As an icon of extinction, the dodo is second to none. From its appearance in Alice in Wonderland to the expression 'dead as dodo', the bird has cemented its place in our cultural heritage. This exciting discovery is one of the few pieces of dodo material in private hands, and it is a privilege, and humbling experience, to have been entrusted with the bone," stated James Hyslop, the head of Travel, Science, and Natural History from Christie's South Kensington.
The Elephant bird egg is larger than dinosaur eggs, and comes from the largest bird we know existed. Standing at around 10 feet in height, the bird can pop out eggs (in this case) that come in at a whopping 8.75 inches in diameter and 12 inches in height (for comparisonists, that's around 100 times the size of the average chicken egg). The bird was found and hunted to extinction in Madagascar. The sub-fossilized egg is stated to be unique since it is a whole specimen, rather than a fragment, and the estimated going price of the egg is between $30,000 and $45,000.
Christie's will be holding public viewings on each day from April 20 to April 23. You can read the full press release from Christie's website for more details.