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Tuesday, February 20
And the vultures begin to gather...
By Dave Johnson
Scripps Howard News Service
NASCAR fans around the world are mourning the death of Dale
Earnhardt.
However, some also are profiting from his passing.
You can find them on eBay, the online auction site.
|  | | A racing fan looks at a die cast replica of Dale Earnhardt's race car at a souvenir shop. |
Sunday afternoon, within hours after The Intimidator died in a
crash at the Daytona 500, eBay was flooded with Earnhardt memorabilia.
During the early-evening hours, sellers were putting items up for
bid at the rate of about 50 per minute. Between 5 p.m. and midnight
eastern Sunday, the number of items had nearly doubled, from 6,977 to
13,180. By 9 a.m. Monday, buyers had more than 29,000 from which to
choose.
Most eBay sellers list their items for a period of three to 10
days. One seller put a full-face racing helmet that was autographed by
Earnhardt and 24 other drivers up for bid on Feb. 8 and ended the
auction shortly before midnight Sunday. It sold for $1,925 and
attracted 49 bids, including seven in the final three minutes, when
the price jumped from $1,500.
Other high-ticket Earnhardt items that sold Sunday night but had
been listed for several days included:
An 8-by-10-inch autographed color photo, for $900. It drew 48
bids; the first was $15.
A signed 1998 Daytona 500 ticket stub, for $1,625, with the first
of 29 bids being $49.99.
A race-worn GM Goodwrench uniform, for $9,100. It received 14
bids, the first for $5,000.
Some sellers used "Buy it Now," an option that lets them list an
item for a specified price. Anyone willing to pay that price may buy
it, but he must do so before the first bid is placed.
That's how one profiteer was able to sell three 1/24th-scale
mint-in-the-box Earnhardt Oreo Action cars for $200 each Sunday night,
all within 34 seconds.
Three weeks ago, a similar car sold on eBay for $45.99.
You can find almost anything you want on eBay -- if you're willing
to pay the price. That includes signatures, figurines, cards, stuffed
bears, Coke bottles, even an autographed NASCAR tire.
And if money's no object, you might want to check out the
following:
A racing helmet purportedly used by Earnhardt during the 1999
season. The helmet "comes complete with radio still intact,"
according to the item description.
The five-day auction ends Friday night. At 5:30 p.m. Monday, just
24 hours after The Intimidator's death, the bidding was at $3,050 and
the helmet had been viewed 5,938 times.
A pair of Simpson race gloves, each signed by Earnhardt and
allegedly worn by him last season.
"It saddens me to sell these, but I am through with NASCAR,"
wrote the seller. "It's just not racing, without Dale, and I no
longer desire to keep my collectibles. This is a tragic day. . . . "
The bidding was at $1,125 Monday night, with six days remaining.
A pair of autographed Simpson racing boots. The three-day auction
ends Wednesday night, with bidding already at $900.
The seller says he met Earnhardt at the Rolex 24 race and "he was
an absolute gentleman."
He added: "A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the
Earnhardt family as a thank-you for the many memories The Intimidator
gave us over the years."
That's a nice touch, Mr. Seller. But then, it seems like the least
you can do.
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