Jimmy Buffett’s Lost Shaker of Salt Sells at Auction For $1.7 Million

The Lost Shaker of Salt made famous in Jimmy Buffet’s hit song, “Margaritaville”, sold at auction today for $1.7 Million. 

Named for the cocktail margarita, with lyrics reflecting a laid-back lifestyle in a tropical climate, “Margaritaville” has come to define Buffett’s music and career. The chorus to the 1977 song pine for a lost shaker of salt. 

Margaritaville

Wastin away in Margaritaville
Searchin’ for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame
But I know, it’s nobody’s fault

Well, that shaker of salt is no longer lost. Buffett fan and self proclaimed Parrot Head, Robert Campi, found the salt shaker during a recent visit to Key West, Florida. “I am a long time fan” said Campi. “Cheeseburger in Paradise is the greatest song ever written, but Margaritaville comes in at a close second. I have been searching for the lost shaker since 1980. To me it is the holy grail.”

Campi did his research and discovered that In 1976, while writing Margaritaville, Buffett lived in a second-story apartment at 704 Waddell Street, in Key West. The house is no longer there, but an old out house still exists on the property. 

“I climbed into the outhouse wearing scuba gear and searched through 50 years of human waste” said Campi. “About an hour into the search, I felt something hard. I grabbed the item and when I raised my hand, there it was, the holy grail. I knew right away what I had found. Sure it was covered in excrement, but it was a rose to me. I cleaned it off and put it directly into the Hotel safe.”

DNA

When Campi reached home, he had the salt shaker certified through a DNA test and by Jimmy Buffett himself. “Yes” said Buffett, “That is the lost shaker of salt. I used to write while sitting on the toilet. I enjoyed drinking Margaritas on the can as well. Now I clearly recall, I dropped the salt shaker into the hole. That’s where the lyric came from.”

The Japanese business man that purchased the salt shaker for $1.7 Million is a huge Buffett fan and collector. He wishes to remain anonymous, but other items in his collection include: Jimmy Buffet nose hair, baby teeth, toe nails and a gallon of urine. It is rumored that this Japanese cooperative plans to clone Jimmy Buffett and make money from live events.

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