Marketing Gimmick of the Week

It may not have aged as gracefully as fine wine, but that didn't diminish demand for 130-million-year-old dinosaur droppings.

Auction house Bonhams New York sold two dinosaur deposits on Wednesday for more than twice their estimated value of $350 to $450. The owner of a pet-supply company in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, took them home after paying $960.

The dinosaur dung looks like a rock to the untrained eye and like a colorful mineral on the inside. The two examples include a polished specimen and one that is naturally textured. They are "wonderful conversation pieces," Bonhams said in its promotional materials.

The dinosaur dung's name, coprolite, has its origins in a feud between Edward Cope and Othniel Marsh, two of the 19th century's most famous early fossil hunters and archrivals in their quest to discover the largest number of prehistoric species.

Upon discovering the first fossilized fecal matter, March named the droppings after his adversary, according to fossil hunting lore.

The winning bidder, Steven Tsengas, said he bought the dino dung to motivate his employees and to display at trade shows.

Tsengas owns OurPet's Co., which sells toys, nutritional supplements, and other pet products, including tools and bags to clean up after dogs.

"Poop is a big business in the pet industry," Tsengas told the Associated Press.

by Alfonso Serrano F.