Lemon from 1739 sold for almost $1,800 at auction
FILE - Nearly 300-year-old lemon found inside a cabinet that was auctioned off. (Brettels Auctioneers and Valuers)
When life gives you lemons, be sure to stow one away for the next hundred years because it could end up making you over $1,000.
A nearly 300-year-old lemon was up for auctionon Jan. 16 by Brettells Auctioneers & Valuers in Newport, England, and the ancient fruit fetched a price of nearly $1,800.
The auction house originally found the 18th-century citrus from 1739 hidden away in a 19th-century cabinet. The cabinet went up for auction, too, but only sold for around $40.
"We thought we’d have a bit of fun and put [the lemon] in the auction with an estimate of £40-£60," auctioneer David Brettell said, according to the Sun. Sixty British pounds sterling is equal to roughly 76 U.S. dollars.
The fruit is a deep-brown color, but remarkably intact. It was carved with the words: "Given by Mr P Lu Franchini Nov 4 1739 to Miss E Baxter."
The lemon may have been brought to England as a romantic gift from India, the Sun reported.
British media described that there was a "bidding war" that drove the final price of the ancient fruit to £1,400, which is just shy of $1,800.
It is highly unusual for food to survive three centuries. Brettell was quoted as saying, "You'll never see an object like this at auction again."
FOX Business contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.