New Zealand: Hua bird feather sold at auction for 26,000 francs

A very rare and valuable feather from an extinct bird went for 46,521.50 New Zealand dollars in New Zealand, which is almost 26,000 francs. It is the most expensive feather ever sold at auction in the world.

The hua bird – also known as the lappenhop – is sacred to local Maori and even appears in songs and lyrics. Songbirds are known for their jumping ability and their beautiful plumage. The wearing of feathers was reserved for rangadira (leaders) and mana (respected) people. Huya birds were already rare when Europeans arrived in New Zealand, but the attraction of settlers led to their extinction in the early 1900s.

To this day, “The Guardian” writes that the desire to own the feathers of the hua birds is great. “We’ve had a record number of people interested in bidding with us,” says Leah Morris, president of New Zealand auction house Webbs.

The auction house had originally expected the feather to fetch up to 3,000 New Zealand dollars – but on Monday the price exceeded all expectations by 450 per cent. That makes it more valuable than gold, the Guardian reckons, because it weighs nine grams in comparison: a gram of feathers is worth NZ$5,169, while a gram of gold is worth NZ$127.

It is not known who bought the pen at the auction. So much so: the feather is registered with the New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage as Tanga Tuduru (True Treasure). This meant that only a registered “Tanga Tuturu” collector was allowed to purchase feathers. Even now after the purchase, she is not allowed to leave the country without New Zealand’s permission.