Since it was founded in 1995 , more than 3 billion detail have been sold through eBay . The on-line vendue site symbolize capitalist economy at its weirdest ; among the items sold are some of theoddest productsman has ever conceived . But once in a blue moon , something unfeignedly invaluable will find itself being adjure on at the world ’s prominent service department cut-rate sale . Here are some of the most jaw - dropping examples .
1. One of Albert Einstein’s Handwritten Letters
Starting Price:$3 millionSold For:$3,000,100
In 1954 , the big physicist write a candidly - worded letter of the alphabet to Jewish philosopher Erik Gutkind in which he defended his views on ethics , religion , and human nature . Nearly six decade later , it caused aminor medium sensationby depict up on eBay .
2. The Original “HOLLYWOOD” Sign
Starting Price:$300,000Sold For:$450,400
“ I trust the winning bidder has exciting plans for it , ” said the sign’sprevious possessor , Dan Bliss . construct in 1923 as a actual - estate gadget , the maiden set of oversize “ Hollywood ” letters look across Los Angeles until it was replaced by a unexampled chemical group in 1978 . The former turning point finally found a new rest home after being auctioned off in 2005 .
3. A Chunk of Mars
Starting Price:$450,000Sold For:$450,000
What ’s a Martian meteorite , you ask ? It ’s a piece of stone that was formed on the Red Planet , criticise into quad by an asteroid or comet impact , that somehow managed to clang - land on Earth . As one can imagine , the betting odds against this befall are , well , astronomic ! In fact , of the over 60,000 meteorite specimen acknowledge to science , only132hail from Mars . A shard from one of these wasauctioned awayin 2003 .
4. A New Species of Sea Urchin
eBay
Starting Price:$9.50Sold For:$138.00
Draped in warm hues of cream and purpleness , theCoelopleurus exquisitusurchin is a fulgent beast . But incredibly , marine biologists did n’t discover it by exploring the loose ocean . rather , theyfound iton eBay . Simon Coppard of the Natural History museum in London , along with a colleague , determined that a specimen being sold there by one collector did , in fact , hail from a species previously unknown to science .
5. The Tuscan Village of Pratariccia
Starting Price:$5 MillionSold For:$3.1 Million
Located 22 miles east of Florence , Pratariccia vaunt some 25 homes broadcast over twenty acres of land . The possessor of Pratariccia ’s tangible estate had , allot to the city manager of a neighboring town , “ tried and failed to sell the hamlet through agencies for long time but … got a quite a little of attending by position it on eBay . ” While this Modern tactic eventually paid off , they in the end received $ 1.9 millionlessthan their original asking price .
6. The Town of Bridgeville, CA
Starting Price:$750,000.00 ( at first).Status : sell — twice !
“ You get an entire working town , ” proclaimed a 2002 post , “ with shops , woodworking , plumbery , gas , and electric … With the right development , Bridgeville can become an economic power station with the potential drop for generating a with child cash menstruum . ” The high bidder would even acquire his / hervery ownzip codification : 95526 . An anonymous businessman emerged victorious by laying down an impressive $ 1.77 million , but back up out of the deal upon really visiting some of Bridgeville ’s desolate hut . Nevertheless , the townspeople did find a unexampled emptor that year , who go on to wrick around and re - sell it on eBay in 2006 — this metre for$1.25 million . Since then , it has change hands yet again ( without eBay ’s assistance ) .
7. The Meaning of Life
start Price:$0.01Sold For:$3.26
A mystical North Carolinian decided to giveMonty Pythona run for its money back in2000 . “ I have discovered the cause for creation , ” he drop a line , “ and will be happy to portion out this information with the highest bidder . ” Since then , neither the buyer nor seller has gone public with the contents of his divine revelation .
BONUS: A Long-Lost Statue from Ancient Greece
Starting Price:$500,000.00Status : NOT sell .
suppose discover a half - net ton , anatomically - correct sculpture pose on your doorstep . While snorkel near Gaza , Palestinian fisherman Jwdat Abu Ghrb spotted a foreign object embedded in the ocean storey . It turned out to be a 2500 - year - old statue depicting the Greek God Apollo . And — unsurprisingly — its lack of garments left nothing to the imagination , which did n’t sit well with Ghrb ’s stunned female parent when he brought his discovery abode . Local authorities quickly seized the find . in short thereafter , it was offered up for sale on eBay ( stupefy over a “ Smurfs - theme beach towel ” ) before beingtaken downat the request of some distraught archaeologists .
All images courtesy of Getty Images unless otherwise noted .
