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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Tasmanian tiger head find at UK auction a 'holy grail' for collector

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A collector purchased a suspected thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) head for approximately $114,000 at a UK auction.
  • The specimen was misidentified as a fox, allowing the collector to acquire it for a fraction of its potential value.
  • Experts confirm that thylacine specimens are rare, with only one other known taxidermy head mount.

A collector has acquired what he believes to be a "holy grail" of taxidermy: a suspected thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, head purchased for about 60,000 British pounds ($114,000) at a United Kingdom auction. James Cranfield, who owns an oddities shop, spotted the specimen despite it being incorrectly listed as a fox head with an estimated price of around 40 British pounds.

Because it has plastic googly eyes, everyone overlooked it as a tatty fox head, but I spotted the teeth and spent days and sleepless nights comparing and contrasting.

— James CranfieldThe collector describes how he identified the thylacine head despite its mislabeling.

Cranfield explained that the "plastic googly eyes" led others to overlook the item, but he recognized the teeth. "I spent days and sleepless nights comparing and contrasting," he said. He engaged in a bidding war with another dealer for the rare item. Cranfield acknowledged the high cost but deemed it priceless due to the lack of comparable specimens.

I'm not a wealthy man, and this is an eye-watering sum, but it's a holy grail and has already been said to be 'priceless' as there is no benchmark to go against.

— James CranfieldThe collector reflects on the value and rarity of the thylacine specimen.

The auctioneer, Andrew Stowe, told the BBC that the seller had originally bought the head for just 50 British pounds at an antiques market, unaware of its true nature. Stowe expressed shock upon learning it was a thylacine, noting that even replicas or bones can fetch thousands of pounds.

The vendor had purchased it simply because the novelty googly eyes attached to it made them laugh.

— Andrew StoweThe auctioneer explains the original seller's reason for buying the head.

Senior zoology curator Kathryn Medlock from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery confirmed that thylacine material is exceptionally rare. While specimens occasionally surface, often having been kept in private collections for years, a complete taxidermy head mount like this is almost unheard of, especially in the UK. Medlock noted that only one other such taxidermy head is known to exist.

Any thylacine material is quite rare, but specimens do turn up from time to time having been kept in a family home or on a farm for many years.

— Kathryn MedlockA curator from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery discusses the rarity of thylacine specimens.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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