A sheep sold for a record 350,000 guineas—or around $490,000 in American money—at an auction in Scotland this week.
The lamb, named Double Diamond, had generated buzz before the Scottish National Texel sale in Lanark started, according to a news release from the Texel Sheep Society. Bidding started at 10,000 guineas (about US$13,000).
A bidding war drove up the price until an agreement was reached for the sheep to be shared between three farms.
“It’s just like every other business—horse racing or the cattle business,” Jeff Aiken, one of the winning bidders, told The Guardian. “Every once in a while something special comes along and yesterday an extra special Texel turned up. Everyone wanted a piece of it.”
Texel sheep originated in Holland and are a butcher favorite, according to the Texel Sheep Society.
It is traditional for livestock to be sold in guineas at auction in the United Kingdom, and one guinea translates to about $1.40 American dollars.
The previous record for one sheep was 230,000 pounds—over $307,000 in U.S. money—for a sheep named Deveronvale Perfection in 2009.
CNN Wire contributed to this report.