Stinking Rich

[Raistlin]

Stinking rich: Ken Wilman with his ambergris find It smells like horse manure and looks like a dirty beach rock but this lump of ‘floating gold’ could pocket one man over £100,000.

The unusual ‘stone’ is believed to be a piece of rare and valuable whale vomit, or ambergris, an in-demand ingredient used in perfumes such as Chanel No.5.

Lancashire resident Ken Wilman discovered the 3kg lump while out walking his boxer dog Madge on Morecambe beach.

‘I didn’t actually realise what it was at first, I couldn’t understand why Madge was so interested in it,’ he explained. ‘It smelled horrible.’

‘I left it, came back home and looked it up on the internet. When I saw how much it could be worth, I went back to the beach and grabbed it!’

Ken Wilman on Morecambe beach

Mr Wilman has already been offered $50,000 (£42,000) for his find by a French ambergris dealer, but experts believe it could be worth much more once it has been officially verified.

Chris Hill, curator at the Aquarium of the Lakes in Cumbria, said it is ‘quite a find’.

‘How much it’s worth will depend on how fresh it is, but it’s potentially $180,000 (£113,000),’ he added.

‘There are places in Europe that will buy it from you. They will age it, like a fine wine, and then test it for perfume.’

The Morecambe man now plans to send a sample to an expert in France.

‘If he verifies it, it could be like winning the Lottery,’ he said.

[Red Yaris 54]

Will it be treated as "Treasure Trove" as he found it on a beach?

[Raistlin]

Whale for Flukes sake, I knew you would just think about the money.

Do you do it on Porpoise...

Should I send the boys around to Krill you

[Azukii_rain]

Probably will be cleaned off, but more or less. I thought ambergris was a brown/black colouration..