In Japan, people auctioned tuna which you probably already know, but I bet you do not know that Japanese ornamental fishes, specifically Japanese Koi, are being auctioned too and one such auction yielded a record transaction for a prized specimen of a recognizable breed. At the Sakai Fish Farm Auction, which took place on October 4th, 2018, a female Koi named S Legend was auctioned off for a whopping 203-freaking-million Yen (about US$1.8 million!).
Holy mother of… that’s heck lot of money for a Japanese Koi, or for any fish for that matter. Seriously, you might just be able to buy a fish farm for that amount. The winning bid was secured by Taiwanese lady by the name of Ms. Yingying who plan to breed the 9-year-old, 101 centimeter (3.31 feet) Kohaku variety – a white-skinned breed of Koi with signature large red markings on the top. Kohaku variety is perhaps the most recognizable among the many breeds of Japanese Koi.
But of course this lady here has plans for this very expensive acquisition. Why else would anyone drop a fortune for a fish that you can’t eat? Certainly not a hobbyist. That’s for sure. According to a report, S Legend has “the potential to produce up to 500,000 eggs.” However, it was said that, “no more than 5,000 will be of the right quality to sell.” That’s not to mention this aquatic beauty has the right attributes to compete in the various competitions for prize money.
Given a typical Koi has a 25-year life span, it may just make the ROI. Maybe. But really, I am just bullshitting. What do I know about Koi, except for dropping some fish feed to them every evening. I don’t even know how much her offspring can fetch. $1.8 mil for a fish kind of make the previous best price of £400K seems pale in comparison. I guess that’s just about as crazy as the world can get.
Images: Mail Online/Price Tag graphic: PSDGraphics.
Source: Mail Online via Luxury Launches.
