In 1902, a cured ham ready for shipment was accidentally left behind at the Gwaltney plant in Smithfield, Virginia. When it was discovered two decades later, P.D. Gwaltney Jr. gave his newly discovered “pet ham” a personalized brass collar, traveled with it to shows and exhibitions, and insured his porky prized possession for a staggering $5,000. 122 years after the ham was once an afterthought at a Virginia packhouse, the shank has been featured on Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and is certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest edible ham in the world. While you can visit the ham in person at the Isle of Wight County Museum, EarthCam is excited to bring you Ham Cam – a live, round-the-clock view of this testament to P.D. Gwaltney Jr.’s preservative powers, featuring the world’s oldest ham and the world’s largest ham!