It was hard to miss that strange and scary-looking creature among the sea items scattered over the long auction table. It was a replica octopus modeled into a stool, its tentacles (with suckers exposed) forming the legs, its small black eyes peering cockeyedly from each side.
Who on earth bought that? I wondered. And who would want to take it home now?
Auction-goer Steve did. In fact, he waited around until the auctioneer had gone through the items on the outside tables and almost two rows inside before getting to the item. Steve was going to sell it at the Jersey Shore. Boaters would use it and some of the other stuff to decorate their boats, he said.
They could also use the octopus chair as a conversation piece. Match it up with the lobster stool also up for auction and the conversation would never end. The stools were just two of the “exotic” items among the sea-related stuff for sale that day.
One box held a starfish, some large scallop shells, clam shells, tulip shells, gray stones and more. There were replicas of Japanese koi fish, sea urchins (including a sea urchin lamp), conch shells, plastic lobsters, a rubbery sea monster and a shark whose open mouth revealed a mirror. The auctioneer dubbed it the “Jaws mirror.”
This apparently was someone’s collection because there were so many of the items. Anyone who’s ever vacationed in Florida or lived there have bought a shell or two. If you have more than five, then you’ve got a collection.
When I lived in Tampa some years ago, conch shells decorated my home because I considered them the loveliest of shells. They were easily obtainable either on the beach or in shops. Interestingly, though, I never went for the raw conch itself, which was made into a popular salad with tomatoes, onions, lime juice and other ingredients.
Friends and I would regularly visit Tarpon Springs, known for its sponge industry. I had a few of the sponges (their skeleton, to be precise) in my bathroom, always thinking I’d use them but I never did. We went more for the Greek food at some of the town’s amazing restaurants, but always found ourselves near the docks and the rows of shops buying more sponges than we’d ever use.
Florida’s southwest coast is said to be the place to find the finest seashells, especially Sanibel and Captiva Islands. According to this visitors site promoting the two, it was common to see folks on the beaches in what it described as the “Sanibel stoop:” They’re doubled over searching the sand for clams, scallops, conch and other shells. The site also offered a guide and photos of what the shells looked like.
An auction in Philadelphia was a long way from a sandy beach in Florida, but the prices for the sea items here were likely much less than those in shops there. All of them sold for less than $25 (these do not include the 15 percent premium charged by the auction house):
Jaws mirror, $20
Lobster stool, $10
Koi and fish lot, $15
Sea monster, $5
Conch shells by choice, $5 to $10
2 lobsters and crab, $9
Starfish, $5
Lobsters and blowfish, $20
Metal fish sculpture, $5
Metal sea horse, $5
When the octopus stool came up, Steve was very close by. He was not the only bidder, but his was the winning bid: $15. He also walked away with a few more items, including the two lobsters and crab.
