Bizarre Stuffed Toys To Be Auctioned

By Suparna Chakaraborthy

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 11:27

The Bizarre and the unnatural have always attracted the human mind and more specifically those of adventurers. One such Victorian Adventurer have discovered a collection of bizarre stuffed animals including a unicorn, flying cat, yeti, and other curious creatures .

The fictional collection also boasts a host of sausage dog, furry fish, mermaid and a bizarre bat-like winged beast with webbed feet.

The collection, in the 19th century was brought to UK by fictional adventurer Professor Copperthwaite, and kept in the museum of taxidermy. The museum is now closed and thus the collection goes under the hammer.

We may think these stuffed animals to be the outcome of a fictitious mind but some Victorians believe that these creatures actually existed because some, like the Siamese sheep, was there in the yester years. Others like the Jackalope, a nearly extinct antlered species of rabbit.

The mermaid is believed to have been have been purchased from a man in Calcutta from a Japanese sailor and the unicorn is labelled "Monoceros unicornis".

The 7ft yeti named 'Yeti Gigantes Abomanalis', was said to have been discovered entombed in a crevasse, close to the border with Azerbaijan.

The museum on the Isle of Wight where the stuffed creatures resided had to close due to lack of visitors.

Rupert Perry-Warnes, from Duke's auction house in Dorchester, has taken over the charge of selling these bizarre creatures along with more normal stuffed toys.

"We are selling the animals without reserves and they must all go. We have real animals in the sale but also these peculiar fictional ones. They were said to have been discovered by a Professor Copperthwaite and during the 19th century people might well have believed them.

There is a two headed sheep and a Siamese sheep which were real, so the others might not have looked too out of place. They are well put together so you can understand why people might have been fooled," says Rupert.

He urges buyers to not miss the chance of owning what no one will ever have gain. He is looking forward to selling every article and the the strange webb-footed creature we estimate at up to 500 pounds.