A fisherman in Satun Province, Thailand, found two pieces of "sea lottery" agarwood. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Nana Han] A fisherman in Satun Province, Thailand, had a windfall by finding two lumps of "the sea's lottery," ambergris.
According to a report by Bangkok Jack on the 6th (local time), Thai fisherman Asere Puad (24) went fishing with his father on the 2nd and encountered heavy rain. Puad said, "We were trudging back empty-handed when I saw an unidentified lump floating in the shallow beach," adding, "I had seen ambergris on television, so I brought it home just in case."
The lumps picked up by the father and son weighed 7 kg and 600 g respectively, similar to the ambergris found last month by a woman in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand. The fisherman’s family sent ambergris samples to the Songkhla University laboratory for authenticity verification.
The appraisal results showed that the lumps found by the two were high-quality ambergris, estimated to be worth up to 10,202,000 baht (approximately 400 million KRW).
The father expressed his emotion, saying, "We had to return home early due to the storm, but in the end, we got such a treasure."
They are now looking for buyers for the premium ambergris. It is also possible to have it reappraised for sale.
Called the "lottery of the sea," "gold of the sea," and "gift of the sea god," ambergris is the vomit of the male sperm whale and is used as an ingredient in high-end perfumes. When first expelled, it is black and soft in texture but emits a foul odor. However, after drifting in the sea for a long time, exposure to sunlight and salt gradually lightens its color, hardens its texture, and produces a pleasant fragrance.
The longer it floats on the sea, the higher its value becomes. The finest ambergris sells for about 23 million KRW per 500 g.
Earlier, on the 23rd of last month, a woman in Thailand made headlines by finding ambergris worth hundreds of millions of won. After a storm passed, she was walking along the beach and discovered a golden ambergris measuring 30 cm in width, 61 cm in length, and weighing about 7 kg. At that time, the price of this ambergris was set at 7.9 million baht, approximately 300 million KRW.
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