Family in Singapore finds rare spherical egg in weekly grocery haul

SINGAPORE – A weekly grocery run for a family in Singapore turned into an “egg-citing” affair last week, when nestled in a carton of otherwise oval-shaped eggs that they had purchased was a rare spherical egg.

“Absolute wonder and joy!” said Viraj Swaroop, 42, and his wife Sharmista Nagarkatti, 42, of the discovery, adding that their children, aged eight and 11, were “super thrilled” by the unusual find.

The family had purchased their Chew’s Agriculture egg carton from a FairPrice outlet at the Hougang 1 mall on May 27. Chew’s Agriculture is a producer of chicken eggs in Singapore.

Viraj’s mother, Rajni Leela Kumar, 67, spotted the spherical egg later that day.

The family was initially clueless about the potential worth of the rare egg in their possession, until Sharmista conducted a quick Google search the next day, said Viraj.

Circular eggs, described as one in a billion, have in the past been auctioned off for their rarity. In 2025, a circular egg in Britain fetched £420 (S$723), with all proceeds going to charity, reported the BBC. In 2024, a similarly round egg was auctioned off for £200.

“We would have boiled the egg had Shams not intervened,” said Viraj, referring to his wife.

He added that the egg is currently safely tucked away at the back of their fridge, and that no one is allowed to touch it.

“We are guarding it with our lives like a hen would,” he said.

Viraj said the family is hoping to sell the egg “if the price is right” to any interested collector. He declined to share a price range.

According to the packaging on the carton of 10 eggs, which cost $3.75, the eggs are best consumed by June 29.