It was part of an extensive taxidermy collection owned by an Adelaide family put up for auction that brought buyers from everywhere in their anxiety to obtain one of the animals.
Auctioneer Tony Philips couldn’t believe his eyes when more than 200 people filled the room, paddles at the ready to get a piece of the action. An outstanding example was the zebra head (Lot 17 ), which he had conservatively estimated at $1,000-$2,000, that changed hands for $12,694 including buyers premium.
However, even better returns were on the way when a giraffe head and neck (Lot 42 ) and an Alaskan moose head (Lot 46 ) each sold for $16,156 against respective estimates of $3000-$5000 and $2000-$4000 respectively.
The entire taxidermy collection of 46 animal heads, complete specimens and skins sold quickly, the success prompting one observer to allocate his collection of some 15 animals for the next auction