“One in a billion” rare egg found and readied for auction
A rare discovery sparks interest in a quiet farm, with surprising plans that go far beyond its unusual origins.
A perfectly round egg has been found on a laying hen farm in Devon, England. The unusual discovery was made by a farm worker who, while inspecting a batch of eggs, noticed one with an exceptional shape, calling it a “one-in-a-billion egg.”
Where was rare round egg found?
The person behind the find, Alison Greene, 57, works as an egg handler at Fenton Farm, located near the Somerset border. After three years of overseeing dozens of egg shipments and handling more than 42 million eggs – a little short of one billion, some eagle-eyed pedants may highlight – Greene says she has never come across anything like it before.
Greene now plans to take the egg to the city of Exeter, where it will be auctioned in mid-March. She intends to donate the proceeds to the charity Devon Rape Crisis.
Far from being just a curiosity, round eggs are considered a genuine treasure by some collectors. According to Brian Goodison-Blanks, an auctioneer at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood Auctioneers in Exeter, such items often appear during auctions.
“Perfectly round chicken eggs are quite unusual, and there have been people willing to pay over £100 (c.$125) — and sometimes as much as £200 (c.$250) — for them,” Goodison-Blanks explains.
Significant sums of money for an egg
Last December, a round egg was sold for $250 after its owner found it in a bar. The winning bidder, Ed Pownell, paid $190 for the peculiar oval, which was later donated to a mental health charity for youth in Oxfordshire, known as Iuventas Foundation.
However, the most expensive round egg on record was sold in 2015. Through eBay, a farmer in Latchingdon, Essex, managed to sell it for $600, with the entire sum donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, an organization dedicated to cystic fibrosis research.
Truly eggstraordinary!
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.