Gifts
Coco De Mer Shell Circa 1900s Seychelles, Perfect For Your Wunderkammer
Maldon, United Kingdom
£3,285 per item
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Item details
Height
32.0 cm
Width
33.02 cm
Depth
18.01 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
This is a particularly fine and large symmetrical example of a rare 19th century Coco de Mer Shell. A complete coco de mer the perfect object to place in your Wunderkammer or cabinet of curiosities.
The Nut and tree of the coco de mer is a rare species of palm tree native to the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean and through centuries has been the subject of various legends and lore.
Coco de mer is endemic to the Seychelles islands of Praslin and Curieuse. Before the Seychelles were discovered and settled, nuts of this species were sometimes carried by the ocean currents to distant shores, such as those of the Maldives, where the tree was unknown. These floating nuts did not germinate. The exceptional size and suggestive form of the nut, the circumstances of its discovery, and some unusual qualities of the trees have given rise to several legends.
The nut of the coco de mer is very large (the largest seed in the plant kingdom) and is oddly shaped, being the shape and size of a woman's disembodied buttocks on one side, and a woman's belly and thighs on the other side. Not surprisingly, this nut was viewed by people in other parts of the world as a rare and fascinating object with mythological and even magical properties. The nature and origin of this extraordinary nut was mysterious, and the propagation of the tree was not understood. A number of legends arose both about the nuts, and about the trees that produce them.
The coco de mer palm has separate male and female trees, unlike the coconut palm. And, unlike the more familiar fruit of the coconut tree, the coco de mer fruit is not adapted to disperse naturally by floating on the ocean water. When a coco de mer fruit falls into the sea, it cannot float because of its great weight and density; instead it sinks to the bottom. However, after the fruit has been on the sea bed for a considerable period of time, the husk drops off, the internal parts of the nut decay, and the gases that form inside the nut cause the bare nut to rise up to the surface. At that time the nut can float, but is no longer fertile, thus when the ocean currents cause the nut to wash up on a distant beach, for example in the Maldives, a tree cannot, and does not, grow from the nut. The name coco de mer is French, and means "coconut of the sea".
Condition report:
Good Wear consistent with age and use.
Additional dimensions information:
Height: 32 cm Width: 33 cm Depth: 18 cm
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Returns
We have a 14-day return guarantee for orders from individual sellers, within the UK and European Union. View full policy.
Estimated delivery time
Less than one week
Free collection available
No
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- Selling at Vinterior since 2019
- 19 sales
- Ships from Maldon, United Kingdom
Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 17th October 2024
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Please note that certain items are non-refundable, including those that are personalised, bespoke, or made-to-order according to your specific requirements.
Types of returns and responsibilities
Change of mind return
Consumers can return the goods due to a change of mind. Once a return is requested, the buyer is in charge of shipping the goods back to the seller and should organise it as soon as possible. Shipment costs to and from buyers are non-refundable.
Item not fit for purpose
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Damage in transit
Vinterior must be informed of any damage in transit. If Proovia delivered the items, Vinterior will then raise an insurance claim on behalf of the Vendor with the delivery company. If the seller organised a delivery, they would be asked to raise a claim with their courier. Once the claim is resolved and any relevant decision regarding the insurance has been made, any applicable refunds will be processed.
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Once the item is returned to the Vendor in the same condition, the Vendor will confirm receipt of the item, and Vinterior will refund the original payment method.
If an item is returned to the seller damaged or in an unsuitable condition, Vinterior will not be able to process the refund, and the seller may have to send it back (and ask you to cover the delivery costs). All items are inspected on return.
What can't be returned?
As with cancellations, the right to return an item does not apply to the following types of Goods, which are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to the Customer's specific requirements.
Please note that vintage items are not sold as new and are likely to show signs of wear and tear. This is not sufficient grounds for a refund.
Vendors may refuse a return of an item if the Customer has altered it in any way.
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