How much would you be willing to pay for a lemon that isn't even fresh? In England, in Shropshire, an auction house sold a 285-year-old citrus fruit for the sum of 1416 pounds, more than 1600 euros. According to Brettells Auctions, which oversaw the bizarre sale, the mummified lemon was unexpectedly found inside a 19th century cabinet that had been brought to the same auction house to be put up for sale by a family who said having inherited it from an uncle. On the now brown peel of the lemon, well preserved in shape, are engraved the words: «Given by Mr. P Lu Franchini on 4 November 1739 to Miss E Baxter».
The owner of Brettells Auctioneers, David Brettell, said: «The lemon arrived here in an ordinary Chinese cabinet from the late 19th century, it was at the bottom of one of the drawers, we found it when we pulled out the drawer to take the photos. photos for sale”. Probably, according to Brettell, it is a love token brought back from colonial India. Partly as a joke, partly out of curiosity, the auction house in the West Midlands decided to put the citrus fruit which is almost 300 years old up for sale, estimating it could fetch 40-60 pounds (46-70 euros).
It's easy to imagine the auctioneer's surprise when, one show of hands after another, the lemon which perhaps carries with it a romantic message reached the final selling price, more than 1400 pounds. In total for the singular auction there were 35 bids, in the end the curious relic was won by a British collector. The Chinese cabinet that started it all, however, was sold for just 32 pounds, not even 37 euros and 50 cents. The lemon therefore earned 50 times the sum received for the furniture.
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