PC-GUY
1
$28,000 for a science project 
, how much could I get for some old bread?
By Don Aucoin, Globe Staff | November 24, 2004
Diana Duyser will become $28,000 richer today, stand at the center of a media spotlight, and embark on a nationwide tour starring herself -- and all it cost her was a 10-year-old sandwich.
Not just any sandwich, of course. In one of the more bizarre sequences of the Internet era -- or any era -- Duyser reaped her windfall by going on <org idsrc="NASDAQ" value="EBAY">eBay</org> to auction off a grilled cheese sandwich on which, she claims, resides the image of none other than the Virgin Mary. In only two weeks, the posting triggered nearly 2 million page views, making it one of most popular listings in eBay's history.
Equally remarkable was the viruslike speed with which the online auction site became crowded with scores of products that were half-spoof, half-spinoff: Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese lunchboxes, greeting cards, T-shirts featuring President Bush and posters of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California with the sandwich, refrigerator magnets, paintings, a "Low Carb Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese recipe," even an Internet domain address.
"Never did I think it would be this crazy," Duyser, 52, a jewelry designer from Hollywood, Fla., said in an interview yesterday. "It's incredible, just incredible."
That's one word for it. Skeptics might call it a fad, a farce, a sacrilege, or a triumph of clever marketing. GoldenPalace.com, the online casino that won the eBay bidding, hails it as a "pop culture phenomenon." One thing some religious leaders are unwilling to call it is a miracle.
Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said yesterday that while Duyser "may be very sincere," the image sounded like an "optical illusion." She added that "the church is very leery of believing something like this. The sale on eBay is certainly curious." Asked if Duyser's claim nonetheless bore looking into by church authorities, Sister Walsh replied dryly: "We're not going to look into the wonder of Wonder Bread."
Duyser acknowledged widespread skepticism about her claim. "A lot of people question it," she said. "But this is what I believe in. It's my opinion that this is the Virgin Mary."
Meanwhile, it was the earthly benefits of the celebrated sandwich that were on the minds of executives at GoldenPalace.com, run by a company based in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in Canada, that is known for publicity stunts and that moved quickly to win the bidding for the sandwich. Today, in a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, the company will present Duyser with a check for $28,000 in return for the sandwich.
"We're the toast of the town," spokesman Drew Black said yesterday. "We just knew this thing would take off and create a big buzz. . . . There's a huge media frenzy." According to Black, CBS's "The Early Show," the Howard Stern radio show, and other outlets have sought interviews with Duyser. Black said the company decided to bid on the sandwich after reading newspaper stories in which Duyser said it brought her good luck in winning $70,000 in a casino near her home.
Already, Black said, GoldenPalace.com has hired Duyser as a spokesman and is outfitting a tour bus in which she will traverse the country with replicas, T-shirts, and key chains. The actual sandwich will be transported and displayed by another company employee, according to another spokesman, Monty Kerr. "We want to see if it brings people who interact with the sandwich any luck," Kerr said.
Black predicted that the tour, which will hit Las Vegas and end in Atlantic City, could raise up to $1 million. He maintained that "every penny we collect" will be earmarked for local charities. Asked about a possible backlash from those who might view the tour as the commercialization of a religious icon, Black replied: "We're not poking fun at it. We believe it will bring luck. Any kind of backlash will be turned around by the fact that we will be collecting money for charity. I don't think it's sacrilege. I think it's the right thing to do."
In the process, of course, the casino will also substantially broaden its name recognition. Meanwhile, eBay has further cemented its image as what spokesman Chris Donlay yesterday called "the modern equivalent of the town square" and "a barometer of pop culture." Posted two weeks ago, Duyser's ad was taken down by eBay for a couple of days -- because site officials were not sure the posting was for real. Re-posted on Nov. 15, the ad drew 27 bids before ending Monday night -- with a runner-up bid of $27,900, Donlay said.
The triangular half-sandwich at the center of this furor has been enclosed in a plastic container amid cotton balls for a decade, according to Duyser. Describing herself as a Baptist who does not attend church regularly, Duyser said that when she made the sandwich in the autumn of 1994, she noticed a female face in the sandwich that she concluded was the Virgin Mary. "She'd come to me for a reason," Duyser said. "I just couldn't figure it out at the time."
Duyser said the sandwich has developed no mold over a decade, and said that last week she and her daughter opened the plastic case and found the sandwich to be "like you just cooked it," though she said it has "gotten darker."
Asked why she did not take the sandwich to religious authorities or try to sell it sooner, Duyser said she was busy caring for her two ailing parents. After they passed away, she said, she decided the time was right to bring the sandwich to public attention. With a disabled husband and the responsibility of caring for her parents, Duyser said, she has traveled little, so she is looking forward to the bus tour, which kicks off today.
"This is going to be a new experience for me," she said.
THE BOSTON GLOBE.
, how much could I get for some old bread? By Don Aucoin, Globe Staff | November 24, 2004
Diana Duyser will become $28,000 richer today, stand at the center of a media spotlight, and embark on a nationwide tour starring herself -- and all it cost her was a 10-year-old sandwich.
Not just any sandwich, of course. In one of the more bizarre sequences of the Internet era -- or any era -- Duyser reaped her windfall by going on <org idsrc="NASDAQ" value="EBAY">eBay</org> to auction off a grilled cheese sandwich on which, she claims, resides the image of none other than the Virgin Mary. In only two weeks, the posting triggered nearly 2 million page views, making it one of most popular listings in eBay's history.
Equally remarkable was the viruslike speed with which the online auction site became crowded with scores of products that were half-spoof, half-spinoff: Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese lunchboxes, greeting cards, T-shirts featuring President Bush and posters of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California with the sandwich, refrigerator magnets, paintings, a "Low Carb Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese recipe," even an Internet domain address.
"Never did I think it would be this crazy," Duyser, 52, a jewelry designer from Hollywood, Fla., said in an interview yesterday. "It's incredible, just incredible."
That's one word for it. Skeptics might call it a fad, a farce, a sacrilege, or a triumph of clever marketing. GoldenPalace.com, the online casino that won the eBay bidding, hails it as a "pop culture phenomenon." One thing some religious leaders are unwilling to call it is a miracle.
Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said yesterday that while Duyser "may be very sincere," the image sounded like an "optical illusion." She added that "the church is very leery of believing something like this. The sale on eBay is certainly curious." Asked if Duyser's claim nonetheless bore looking into by church authorities, Sister Walsh replied dryly: "We're not going to look into the wonder of Wonder Bread."
Duyser acknowledged widespread skepticism about her claim. "A lot of people question it," she said. "But this is what I believe in. It's my opinion that this is the Virgin Mary."
Meanwhile, it was the earthly benefits of the celebrated sandwich that were on the minds of executives at GoldenPalace.com, run by a company based in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in Canada, that is known for publicity stunts and that moved quickly to win the bidding for the sandwich. Today, in a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, the company will present Duyser with a check for $28,000 in return for the sandwich.
"We're the toast of the town," spokesman Drew Black said yesterday. "We just knew this thing would take off and create a big buzz. . . . There's a huge media frenzy." According to Black, CBS's "The Early Show," the Howard Stern radio show, and other outlets have sought interviews with Duyser. Black said the company decided to bid on the sandwich after reading newspaper stories in which Duyser said it brought her good luck in winning $70,000 in a casino near her home.
Already, Black said, GoldenPalace.com has hired Duyser as a spokesman and is outfitting a tour bus in which she will traverse the country with replicas, T-shirts, and key chains. The actual sandwich will be transported and displayed by another company employee, according to another spokesman, Monty Kerr. "We want to see if it brings people who interact with the sandwich any luck," Kerr said.
Black predicted that the tour, which will hit Las Vegas and end in Atlantic City, could raise up to $1 million. He maintained that "every penny we collect" will be earmarked for local charities. Asked about a possible backlash from those who might view the tour as the commercialization of a religious icon, Black replied: "We're not poking fun at it. We believe it will bring luck. Any kind of backlash will be turned around by the fact that we will be collecting money for charity. I don't think it's sacrilege. I think it's the right thing to do."
In the process, of course, the casino will also substantially broaden its name recognition. Meanwhile, eBay has further cemented its image as what spokesman Chris Donlay yesterday called "the modern equivalent of the town square" and "a barometer of pop culture." Posted two weeks ago, Duyser's ad was taken down by eBay for a couple of days -- because site officials were not sure the posting was for real. Re-posted on Nov. 15, the ad drew 27 bids before ending Monday night -- with a runner-up bid of $27,900, Donlay said.
The triangular half-sandwich at the center of this furor has been enclosed in a plastic container amid cotton balls for a decade, according to Duyser. Describing herself as a Baptist who does not attend church regularly, Duyser said that when she made the sandwich in the autumn of 1994, she noticed a female face in the sandwich that she concluded was the Virgin Mary. "She'd come to me for a reason," Duyser said. "I just couldn't figure it out at the time."
Duyser said the sandwich has developed no mold over a decade, and said that last week she and her daughter opened the plastic case and found the sandwich to be "like you just cooked it," though she said it has "gotten darker."
Asked why she did not take the sandwich to religious authorities or try to sell it sooner, Duyser said she was busy caring for her two ailing parents. After they passed away, she said, she decided the time was right to bring the sandwich to public attention. With a disabled husband and the responsibility of caring for her parents, Duyser said, she has traveled little, so she is looking forward to the bus tour, which kicks off today.
"This is going to be a new experience for me," she said.
THE BOSTON GLOBE.