Tarazet

Cat's Headstone Sells For Big $$$

Here's a story from London where a woman discovers that the headstone marking her beloved cat's grave was worth a lot of money. From the Rocky Mountain News:

LONDON - A 1,000-year-old stone carving that spent years marking the grave of a couple's pet cat was sold at auction Friday for more than $380,000.

The limestone carving of St. Peter was sold by Ruth Beeston, whose stonemason husband found it in a quarry.

Not realizing its value, the couple set it in their backyard in southwestern England to mark the resting place of their cat, Winkle. It was spotted by a local amateur historian, who guessed its age. Ruth Beeston decided to sell the piece after her husband died last year.

Alexander Cader, sculpture expert at auction house Sotheby's, said the carving - from the ninth or early 10th century - was "a rare survivor of English stone carving at its best." The stone slab drew lively bidding, finally selling to a private collector for $383,000, including buyer's premium.

Cader said Beeston would be delighted by the result of the sale.

I bury my pets with elaborate "coffins" filled with their favorite blanket, toys, food, water, dish, and much more, plus a personal note of eternal love. I know that when they die, they leave their mortal remains behind and (hopefully) wait for me in (hopefully it exists) heaven. I don't mark their graves because we do live in a sick world.

I suppose I have mixed emotions about this story. If the widow was needing cash, then I guess this was a good event. But if she didn't, she should not have disturbed or moved or sold the marker for her pet's grave. Call me sentimental.

Posted by Jeff Soyer at December 13, 2004 12:15 PM