The scent of rotting fish was detected by Overton, Lancashire residents Gary and Angela Williams as they strolled down Middleton Sands beach, which is close to Morecambe Bay.
They pursued the aroma until they came onto an odd-looking “rock” that seemed to be a fragment of ambergris, commonly referred to as “whale vomit” and used to make perfume.
The couple brought the enormous lump, covered in a scarf, home after reading about the highly sought-after chemical in a newspaper.
After weighing the lump with his fishing scales, Gary, 48, found that it weighed 1.57 kg, which is a little less than a lump that was found in Morecambe a few years ago.
The previous instance of “whale vomit” sold in 2013 for an incredible £120,000.
Currently, Gary and Angela, a 49-year-old nurse, are discussing the recently discovered bulge with prospective buyers. The stone has a size similar to a rugby ball.
Ambergris, made from the hardened intestinal sludge of sperm whales, is commonly referred to as “floating gold” due to its scarcity and significant worth to perfume manufacturers.
It takes years to generate the substance, which is believed to shield the animal from the hard, pointy objects it consumes.
Before washing up on the coast, it might drift in the water for a very long period.
It becomes a smooth, grey lump of compact rock after being left out in the sun and in saltwater for an extended period of time.
Gary, an engineer, and his spouse discovered “a bit of a shock” finding.
It was on a part of the beach where relatively few people used to stroll, he said.
Even so, it smells rather bad. It smells really distinctive, like a combination between squid and farm manure.
It feels like a rubber ball that is really hard. It feels like wax, like a candle.
“When you touch wax, it adheres to your fingertips.”
If it’s valuable, it will go a long way toward helping us buy a static caravan,” he continued. That’s a dream come true.
Gary and Angela often stroll down the beach looking for intriguing items.
After finding the 1.57 kg of ambergris on Sunday, they have kept it under secure storage and consulted two specialists, one from New Zealand and the other from France.
The 2.7 kg fragment that washed ashore in Morecambe in 2013 was valued by experts at much to £120,000.
Last September, a 1.1 kg piece found on a beach near Anglesey, Wales, was bought for £11,000 at an auction in Macclesfield, Cheshire.
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