A auction of some of the deceased pigeon fancier Dirk Van Dyck’s birds has raised 2,265,500 euro. 315 of the Zonhoven (Limburg Province) fancier's birds went under the hammer. One bird called Mathieu was sold for 146,500 euro.
The Zonhoven pigeon fancier Dirk Van Dyck passed away last year. The specialist auctioneer PIPA (Pigeon Paradis) has just sold 315 of his most popular birds. The auction raised a total of 2,265,500 euro. The most expensive bird (146,000 euro) was Mathieu, a pigeon that was called after the cycling champion Mathieu van der Poel. Mathieu van der Poel. Mathieu is a descendant of “De Kannibaal” (The Cannibal), the late Mr Van Dyck’s absolute top pigeon.
Dirk Van Dyck’s daughter Natalia told VRT News that "It hurts to see all the pigeons being sold, but I am happy with the proceeds. It's the nice farewell my dad deserves. We are really shocked by how much has been raised. We don't know yet what we are going to do with that money. Sometimes you don't think about how much they are worth, because they are pigeons. Since I was little, it was just dad's hobby."
146,000 euro for Mathieu
The most expensive pigeon at the auction was Mathieu. He was sold for 146,500 euros. "He is named after cyclist Mathieu van der Poel. I knew that he would be the most expensive pigeon at the auction, but I did not expect such a high amount to be paid."
Many successful bidders were pigeon fanciers from Asia. The pigeons will be taken to them by specialised transport.