$12,400 for a pair of Japanese melons!

A single pair of premium melons fetched an eye-watering 1.5 million yen ($12,400) at an auction in Japan on Friday.

The winning bid was placed by a local fruit wholesaler for the first Yubari melons to go under the hammer this year at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market in northern Hokkaido, officials said.

The figure -- enough to buy a brand new car in Japan -- is some way short of the record for the luxury fruit, which fetched 2.5 million yen last year. High prices are the norm for the opening auction of the season and reflect buyers' desire for prestige.

Yubari melons are considered a status symbol in Japan -- like a fine wine -- with many being bought as a gift for friends and colleagues.