Grilled Cheese Sandwich With Virgin Mary Image Draws Huge Bids
ebay Pulls Item Before Woman Insists 'It's No Joke'
<TEXT id=txt_posted>POSTED:</TEXT> 7:32 am EST November 16, 2004
<TEXT id=txt_updated>UPDATED:</TEXT> 5:50 pm EST November 17, 2004
<!--startindex-->MIAMI -- A grilled cheese sandwich that has been a water cooler topic across America since a woman said she saw the Virgin Mary toasted into its surface is drawing bids of more than $69,000.
The Internet auction house eBay canceled bids for the half of a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich but the bidding was back on starting Tuesday.
Diana Duyser put the grilled cheese up for auction on eBay last week, drawing bids as high as $22,000 before eBay pulled the item Monday night. <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Duyser reposted the ad Tuesday, and included a request for ebay to "please not pull the auction off."
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By 5 p.m. Wednesday, the new listing had already been viewed more than 778,000 times. The high bid for the sandwich as of 5 p.m. was more than $69.000.
An e-mail Duyser received from eBay said the sandwich broke its policy, which "does not allow listings that are intended as jokes."
But Duyser, a work-from-home jewelry designer who has bought and sold items on eBay for two years, said the grilled cheese isn't a joke.
She said she took a bite after making it ten years ago and saw a face staring back at her from the bread.
In the new ad posted Tuesday, Duyser said: "I would like all onlookers to understand why I am choosing to keep the high bidders ID private, I listed this once before and had all kinds of emails some were nice and funny comments but many were cruel intended, and vindictive, I ignored them but, I do not wish to subject potiental buyers to this form of invasion."
Duyser made it clear she is serious about selling the sandwich and would not take any bid below her starting price of $3,000.
If you'd like to see the ebay ad for the sandwich, click here.
ebay Pulls Item Before Woman Insists 'It's No Joke'
<TEXT id=txt_posted>POSTED:</TEXT> 7:32 am EST November 16, 2004
<TEXT id=txt_updated>UPDATED:</TEXT> 5:50 pm EST November 17, 2004
<!--startindex-->MIAMI -- A grilled cheese sandwich that has been a water cooler topic across America since a woman said she saw the Virgin Mary toasted into its surface is drawing bids of more than $69,000.
The Internet auction house eBay canceled bids for the half of a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich but the bidding was back on starting Tuesday.
Duyser reposted the ad Tuesday, and included a request for ebay to "please not pull the auction off."
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By 5 p.m. Wednesday, the new listing had already been viewed more than 778,000 times. The high bid for the sandwich as of 5 p.m. was more than $69.000.
An e-mail Duyser received from eBay said the sandwich broke its policy, which "does not allow listings that are intended as jokes."
But Duyser, a work-from-home jewelry designer who has bought and sold items on eBay for two years, said the grilled cheese isn't a joke.
She said she took a bite after making it ten years ago and saw a face staring back at her from the bread.
In the new ad posted Tuesday, Duyser said: "I would like all onlookers to understand why I am choosing to keep the high bidders ID private, I listed this once before and had all kinds of emails some were nice and funny comments but many were cruel intended, and vindictive, I ignored them but, I do not wish to subject potiental buyers to this form of invasion."
Duyser made it clear she is serious about selling the sandwich and would not take any bid below her starting price of $3,000.
