spotlight

Because we sell anything and everything, we often get ads for the interesting, the unusual and the extremely specialized. One of the best parts of working here is that we learn so much about so many different things. Here’s where we feature an ad that made us sit up and take notice.

We wood *ahem* comment, but we’ll let you take a gander at this one:

PETRIFIED TREE STUMP 15 million years old, beautiful, from Indonesia, weights 1800lbs., $25,000. OBO +(HONESDALE) 570-253-1794

We particularly love our Antiques and Rare Items category, and it really makes our day when an advertised item is both antique and rare. You can imagine how excited we were about this one. Antique? That’s an understatement. Rare? Most definitely.

We’ll hit you with a little science here, just in case you aren’t up on your petrification facts: petrified wood is formed when, over time, the organic matter of a plant is replaced by minerals (very often quartz). As a result, the final product is a rock with the shape of the original plant-based item, in this case a tree stump.

When Andrew placed this ad, he explained that these pieces are highly sought after items, often used for decorative furniture or even just objets d’art. Many of the larger pieces are taken from Asia, and since some countries are cracking down on the removal of these items, they’ve become even more valuable to collectors.

You really never know what you’ll find advertised with us. And that? Is pretty stone-cold awesome!