the $76,272.41 coconut tiki mug

An interesting story from todays METRO newspaper, i dread to think how this will effect the prices of tiki mugs on ebay :)

A £50,000 BOUNTY ON A COCONUT

He was the legendary captain of the Bounty; who suffered mutiny at the hands of his second-in-command.

Cast adrift in an open boat with 18 other men, Captain William Bligh survived a 48-day, 4,000-mile voyage across the pacific.

Now, more than 200 years later, relics front his epic journey are expected to raise £225,000 at auction.

Bligh's account of the mutiny, bound together with minutes of the mutineers’ court martial three years later, is expected to fetch up to £70,000.

Among the other items is a smooth coconut shell Bligh ate his food rations from, inscribed with his initials and the words: “The cup I ate my miserable allowance on.” It could fetch up to £50,000.

There is also a horn beaker with which he measured out his crew's daily allowance of a quarter pint of water each. It is expected to go for £20,000.

A bullet, hollowed out and crafted into a weight to measure out an ounce of bread a day, and a steel magnetic compass in a tiny wooden case the deposed captain’s only means of navigation could raise £25,000 each. The artifacts belong to a couple in there 80s front New Zealand who are descendants of Capt Bligh.

The items will be auctioned at Christies in London next month.

HMS Bounty left Britain for the South Seas in December 1787 on a mission to collect breadfruit plants for use in the West Indies as a cheap food for slaves.

As it prepared to sail for the Caribbean after five months in Tahiti, some of the Bounty's crew, led by Fletcher Christian mutinied and expelled Bligh, his officers and some fellow crew.

Thanks to Bligh's navigation skills, they managed to reach Timor in the East Indies and eventually returned to Britain.

Fletcher Christian, now at the helm the Bounty, sailed it back to Tahiti where he founded a colony, which remained undiscovered until 1808. Ten of the mutineers faced court martial in Portsmouth and were executed.
“These are among some of the most historically interesting and important relics ever to have come up for sale at auction,” said a Christie's spokesman.

COOL!!!

Maybe Kailua Geoff and I could go in together on some of this stuff! I want the coconut!

Below is the link to Christies catalogue showing the Bligh items from the HMS Bounty up for Auction September 26th:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/search/searchresults.asp?entry=bounty

I want that coconut!