Chunk Found on Beach Turns Out to Be 300 Million Won 'Lotto of the Sea'

Sperm Whale Male's Vomit 'Yongyeonhyang'
Used as a Material for Luxury Perfumes
Priced Between $27 and $87 per Gram

A 300 million won worth of ambergris discovered by Siriphon while walking on the beach in Thailand. Photo by YouTube video capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A Thai woman found a large piece of ambergris (the excrement of a male sperm whale) worth about 300 million won on the beach.

According to British media on the 1st (local time), on the 23rd of last month, Siripon Niamrin (49) discovered a round object with a width of 12 inches, length of 24 inches, and weight of 7 kg emitting a fishy smell on the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in southern Thailand.

Siripon thought this object could be valuable, so she brought it home and showed it to her neighbors.

A neighbor said, "It might be ambergris," and to confirm, she lightly burned the surface. The area filled with the scent of musk, and the part that touched the fire partially melted and then solidified again.

Through this process, she became convinced that the mysterious object was ambergris.

Ambergris is vomit regurgitated from the mouth of a male sperm whale after digesting food in its intestines, and its price ranges from $27 to $87 per gram.

When dried, ambergris emits a sweet scent and helps fragrances last longer, making it a material used in high-end perfumes. Depending on its size, it sells for tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won, earning nicknames such as "the sea lottery" and "floating gold."

Siripon is currently awaiting visits from experts who can verify the authenticity of the ambergris. If this object is confirmed to be ambergris, its estimated value is about ?185,000 (approximately 288 million won).

Meanwhile, in 2016, a 1.6 kg piece of ambergris found in Lancashire, UK, was sold for ?50,000 (about 78 million won), and in the same year, three fishermen in Oman found an 80 kg piece of ambergris that was traded for ?2.1 million (about 3.27 billion won).