Underwater camera housings used in research, arcane books, glass windows and a silent auction featuring a model of the ill-fated Titanic are all part of a sale in the lobby of the Royal B.C. Museum.
Prices range from a dollar to several hundred dollars.
No collection items or artifacts are on sale, a museum official said Monday. As in previous years, offerings consist of shop merchandise, books and exhibit props built or acquired for temporary past exhibits.
The museum’s gift shop is also running a sale, with items marked down by 20 per cent to 75 per cent.
The event, which runs until Feb. 20, is billed as the 17th Annual Mammoth Sale — but there was a break of a few years. The sale was held annually until COVID interrupted it in 2020. This is the first sale since then.
Proceeds go to the Royal B.C. Museum Foundation.
Meanwhile, if you have empty wall space there is a collection of preserved salmon, each on a white board. Cost: $75 per fish.
If you are looking for a distinctive talking piece, a large bright-yellow submarine propeller and windows used for education have a $200 price tag.
A decorative animal — likely a sheep — is marked at $5. Empty wooden frames are priced at $5 and $10. A shipping container is $125.
Two tables hold books on topics such as microfungi, vascular plants, natural history, as well as one on arts and crafts houses in Greater Victoria.
The silent auction is attracting interest. By late afternoon on Monday, the Titanic model had a high bid of $450, a framed print of B.C.’s parliament building stood at $500, a Hudson’s Bay point blanket was at $245, and a western saddle was at $325.
