2nd Sep, 2022 10:30 GMT/BST

Natural History & Taxidermy

 
Lot 180
 

180

Taxidermy: A Rare & Unusual Wall Cased Ocean Sunfish or Common Mola (Mola mola), caught off the coast of Hartlepool UK in 1995, mounted and cased by A.J. Armitstead, Taxidermy, Darlington, Co Durham, a preserved full mount juvenile Ocean sunfish in side on profile, set against a graduated grey painted back drop, enclosed within a wall hanging picture frame style five-glass oak framed display case, 55.5cm by 9cm by 70cm excluding outer frame, signed and dated to interior lower left, bearing taxidermist's full paper trade label to verso, including attached original newspaper cutting - "Off course .... but not on the menu, a Rare tropical fish brought shoppers to a standstill yesterday after being netted hundreds of miles from its native waters. The bizarre-looking sunfish went on display at a Darlington fishmongers attracting curious looks from people using the town's indoor market. Fully grown, the sunfish can be 15ft long and weigh 4000lb but the Darlington example weighed in at just 7.5lb. it normally inhabits tropical or sub-tropical seas though it has been known to travel in the Gulf Stream, which runs down the west coast of Britain not the east, where it was caught. It was netted on Thursday by the Hartlepool trawler "The Amanda" and appeared yesterday at P. A. Liddle and Sons fish merchants. Jonathan Liddle said; "I have been doing this for 15 years and have never seen one of these in my life." The fish itself is a strange truncated shape with the scaleless body, thick elastic skin and long dorsal and anal fins. But it was for display purposes only because its flesh while not poisonous, is inedible."

Sold for £1,300
Estimated at £350 - £450


 

Auction: Natural History & Taxidermy, 2nd Sep, 2022

Over 360 lots of Natural History and Taxidermy, including a superb recreation of a Dodo by Carl Church, a Giant Clam Shell from the early 20th Century, fine collectors cabinets and rare pieces such as a taxidermy Ocean Sun Fish and a Pair of Oilbirds by Rowland Ward.

 

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Thursday 1 September 10am-5pm and morning of sale from 8am

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