A mounted animal head purchased at a market for £50 has sold for £60,000 after being identified as a rare specimen from an extinct species. The taxidermied head, initially believed to be that of a fox, was ultimately confirmed to be from a thylacine, commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger.

The thylacine, a carnivorous marsupial native to Tasmania, was declared extinct in 1936, with the last known individual dying at the Hobart Zoo. European settlers in the 19th century hunted the species extensively, largely due to concerns over predation on sheep.

The item came to auction on August 11 at Auctioneum in Bristol after its owner discovered it at an antiques market, where it was originally purchased for around £50. The seller had found the mounted head’s “googly eyes” amusing and assumed it was a Victorian-era fox taxidermy piece. However, the unique features of the specimen, particularly its distinctive set of teeth, later captured the attention of experts and bidders.

James Cranfield, a 38-year-old bidder from Essex, won the auction with a final bid of £50,000, plus an additional £10,000 in fees. Cranfield said he suspected the head was that of a thylacine and conducted research after seeing the item. To confirm his suspicions, he traveled overnight, driving three and a half hours to the auction house on the day of the sale. “It confirmed exactly what I wanted to know,” Cranfield said, emphasizing the significance of the teeth in identifying the species.

Andrew Stowe of Auctioneum described the discovery as “quite a shock,” acknowledging the rarity of the specimen. He noted that it is “unbelievably rare” to find such an intact preserved head of a thylacine, which has been dubbed a “holy grail” by the buyer.

The sale highlights the continued interest in and value of unique historical and scientific artifacts related to extinct species.