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War items show up on eBay
First goods from Operation Iraqi Freedom surface on Web auction site.
March 28, 2003: 6:45 AM EST
By Andrew Stein, CNN/Money Staff Writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Curious as to what the leaflets the U.S. has been dropping all over Iraq look like? For the right price, you could find out.

Since the start of the war in Iraq on March 20, related items have been showing up on Web auction site eBay (EBAY: down $0.32 to $89.78, Research, Estimates). Among the things listed: a leaflet dropped on Iraq from the current war, a purported Republican Guard beret, posters of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi currency and inert coalition ammunition.

"Any time an event becomes the center of national attention, we see a pickup in related items," eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said. "This includes the good and the bad."

A purported Iraqi first aid kit from Desert Storm  
A purported Iraqi first aid kit from Desert Storm

Pursglove mentioned that as soon as a football team makes the Super Bowl, there is an immediate pickup in team paraphernalia.

Conversely, some items supposedly from the Space Shuttle Columbia also were put on the auction site and then removed. Users who were found to have put actual items from the shuttle on the site were prosecuted.

He added that the site has not had to remove any items related to the war in Iraq.

One of the items posted on the site is what the seller, identified as rayski43, says is a drop leaflet from the current war. From a starting bid of $7.95, the leaflet had drawn a bid of $187.50 as of 6:35 a.m. ET Friday.

The seller, who originally said he had gotten the leaflet from the FBI, told CNN/Money in a subsequent e-mail that he received it in a letter from a soldier friend serving in Iraq.

There also are several Desert Storm items from the first Gulf War, including what is claimed to be an Iraqi first aid kit, which had a starting bid of $9.99 and sold for $22.

The purported Republican Guard beret from the Gulf War sold at $102.50 after a starting bid of $19.99.  Top of page




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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.