400-year-old preserved alligator on sale for just over $300

By Ed Cullinane via SWNS

A 400-year-old alligator preserved through taxidermy is among items being sold from a historic country estate - for just £300 ($365).

Nicknamed the "sand snapper" by auctioneers, the alligator is part of a family collection owned by the Huyshe family at their home near Honiton, Devon, England.

The family occupied the home for over 450 years, with the alligator itself being purchased by two brothers who fled religious persecution to colonial America in the 1650s.

Chilcotts Auctioneers revealed the extraordinary item will go up for sale on July 16 alongside a host of items lifted from an ancient family home.

This includes a series of family portraits and a finely carved oak sideboard built using materials from an over-mantle itself created in 1594.

The £1,500 ($1,826)-2,000 sideboard features finely carved oak figures wearing the finest fashions of the 16th-17th centuries and a centerpiece of the Royal Stuart coat of arms.

Auctioneer, Duncan Chilcott said: “It’s the first time that any of these items have left the house in many decades, if not centuries.

"It’s been fascinating peering into their history; they don’t all fit neatly into categories of antiques that we’re familiar with - especially not a certain reptile."

The items will be auctioned at Chilcotts’ Dolphin Saleroom in Honiton.

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