Rare 200-million year old fish fossil goes up for auction in West Sussex

It is taking place online today (24 November).

Coelacanth Painten
Author: Lettie BuxtonPublished 24th Nov 2020

An auction is being held today in West Sussex (24 November) to shine a light on our oceans.

Summers Place Auctions, near Billingshurst, will be holding its eighth Evolution Sale.

The sale includes some "phenomenal" examples of former inhabitants of the oceans.

Items are said to be "not just decorative objects for our homes, but a reminder of how fragile nature is".

Although bidders cannot join the team in the auction room because of coronavirus restrictions, they can bid online.

One of the items on offer is a Coelacanth Painten.

The 200 million year old fossil is said to be "rarely uncovered" and "almost never come up for sale".

Its value is estimated at between £30,000 and 50,000.

Another is a "rare and impressive" Japanese spider crab, with an estimated value of between £8,000 and £12,000.

There are also two giant fossil Crayfish from Java, estimated at £2,000 to £3,000, two dinosaur eggs, together estimated at £1,200 to £1,800, and a Woolly rhinoceros skull from Siberia which is at least 10,000 years old and estimated at £4,000 to £6,000.

View the full catalogue on the Summers Place Auctions website.