A 10-year-old grilled-cheese sandwich a Florida woman says bears the image of the Virgin Mary was back on eBay on Tuesday after the internet auction house initially cancelled bids that went up to $22 000.
Owner Diana Duyser (52), of Hollywood, Florida, insists the miraculously mould-free snack is not a scam, but the widespread media attention given to the cheesy listing brought on bids and other offerings that smelled a little off.
Late on Tuesday, the page for the sandwich — item 5535890757 — showed a bid of $99 999 999.
It also attracted listings such as the “Virgin Mary condom” (starting price $2,69), the “cheese sandwich sans Virgin Mary — a sin-free sandwich” ($0,01) and the “Elvis — NOT Virgin Mary — better grilled-cheese sandwich” ($13).
Duyser says her offering is the real thing, even though eBay initially pulled the half-sandwich from its listings, telling her it does not allow items intended as a joke.
The item was back on Tuesday and came with a picture of a sandwich bearing what appears to be the image of a woman’s face and a message from Duyser.
“I made this sandwich 10 years ago. When I took a bite out of it, I saw a face looking up at me; it was Virgin Mary starring [sic] back at me. I was in total shock; I would like to point out there is no mold or [disintegration],” Duyser said. “I would like all people to know that this is the Virgin Mary, Mother of God.”
She said the sandwich, preserved in a plastic box, has brought her “blessings”.
“I have won $70 000 [total] on different occasions at the casino nearby my house; I can show the receipts to the high bidder,” she said.
But Duyser, who says she is a non-practising Baptist, was out of luck on the reported $22 000 bid she got for the sandwich in the first round of bidding before eBay disqualified the auction.
“The last time this was listed, there were over 80 000 viewers,” the message said, adding that the auction elicited many e-mails, some of them “downright cruel”.
EBay spokesperson Hani Durzy admitted the item is a little unusual.
“In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably one of the more unusual things up on the site right now,” he said. — Sapa-AFP
EBay chokes on cheesy miracle