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Sisters sell Illinois-shaped corn flake for $1,350 on eBay
By Associated Press
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CHICAGO -- Two sisters from Virginia sold their Illinois-shaped corn flake on eBay Friday night for $1,350.

“We were biting our nails all the way up to the finish, seeing what would happen,” said Melissa McIntire, 23. “There’s a lot of relief involved.”

The winner of the auction, which lasted more than a week, is the owner of a trivia Web site who wants to add the corn flake to a traveling museum.

“We’re starting a collection of pop culture and Americana items,” said Monty Kerr of Austin, Texas. “We thought this was a fantastic one.”

Kerr owns TriviaMania.com and said he will likely send someone to Virginia to pick up the flake by hand, so it won’t be damaged. This isn’t the first corn flake that Kerr has tried to buy. He said he purchased a flake billed as the world’s largest, but that by the time it was delivered it had crumbled into three pieces.

McIntire and her sister Emily, 15, listed the corn flake on eBay last week, but eBay canceled the auction saying it violated the Web site’s food policy.

The sisters restarted their Ebay auction, advertising a coupon redeemable for their corn flake, instead of the cereal itself.

The McIntires said they’ll likely use the money for a family vacation.

Copycat items have popped up on eBay, including corn flakes shaped like Hawaii and Virginia. There’s also been a potato chip shaped like Florida, and Illinois corn flake paraphernalia, including T-shirts and buttons.

Take a look
This March 2008 photo provided by Melissa McIntire shows a corn flake next to a dime. Two sisters from Virginia are selling a single corn flake shaped like the state of Illinois on the online auction site eBay, drawing bids of nearly $21 on Sunday, March 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Donald McIntire, HO)
This photo provided by Melissa McIntire shows Emily McIntire holding a corn flake, Chicago, Ill., Sunday, March 16, 2008. Two sisters from Virginia are selling a single corn flake shaped like the state of Illinois on the online auction site eBay, drawing bids of nearly $21 on Sunday. (AP Photo/Donald McIntire, HO)
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Reader comments on this story - 30 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

lizzie wrote on Mar 28, 2008 3:13 PM:

" I have a flake that looks like a cheerio. What do you think I'll get for it? "

happyinillinois wrote on Mar 28, 2008 9:04 AM:

" Still proving daily that some people in this country have more money than brains....I hope they enjoy their $1350.00 Cornflake......Give me a break...seems there are better things that money could go toward if they wanted to waste it. "

floyd wrote on Mar 24, 2008 8:18 AM:

" Now the girls should give that money to a charity that helps feed people if they have and class at all. I doubt that will happen. Anyone who has this kind of money to waste on such nonsense deserves to lose all the money they have. Places like the mission and Salvation Army can always use a donation. "

jim4 wrote on Mar 24, 2008 1:54 AM:

" To ML

The last bid I saw on eBay was $200,000 but I think it went to $2 million. Obviously the bidders were not going to pay off. "

Truth wrote on Mar 23, 2008 9:44 AM:

" That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of!!! It just kills me what people will spend their money on! "

floyd wrote on Mar 22, 2008 10:18 AM:

" Illinois has a governor that's like a flake too but I doubt you'd get much for him. He does look like Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine fame though.
Bidding will start at 1 cent and you can buy now for a nickel! "

mizzlin wrote on Mar 22, 2008 10:16 AM:

" Welp,,,,,seems as though Mr. Kerr is the one with corn flakes in his head... amazing!!!!!! He must have money he has nothing else to do with.. wonder how long it will be before both of these flakes disinegrate from age... :) "

ML wrote on Mar 22, 2008 7:36 AM:

" Before the first auction was cancelled, I read on Yahoo news that the bidding had reached $6000. If I were the girls, I would be ticked that Ebay cancelled the auction and lost that amount! "

HRPuffinstuff wrote on Mar 21, 2008 10:06 AM:

" To Care Bear 08: Geesh, who peed in your corn flakes this morning?! "

michelle24 wrote on Mar 20, 2008 2:13 PM:

" Ya'll are a hoot, thanks for the chuckles! :) "

The Great Illinois Flake ! wrote on Mar 20, 2008 8:39 AM:

" Hey all! Just call me Blagojevich. Can I have my name stamped on this flake? "

jim4 wrote on Mar 20, 2008 5:55 AM:

" If they are depending on this money for their trip to Disney World I think the trip will be cancelled. No legitimate buyer will even pay $20 for it. "

Seymour Butz wrote on Mar 19, 2008 2:38 PM:

" I think it actually looks more lie Abe Lincoln in profile. "

Carebear08 wrote on Mar 19, 2008 1:04 PM:

" This is dumb! I cant believe that there are people that will actually pay good money for such a dumb thing. I think that im going to put a listing on ebay that will say: Please help me, gas prices and the cost of milk are killing me, so please bid on this set of paper cut outs that look like Iraq, Bush, Clinton, and Obahma... These make great fire starters!!! Bidding will start at 1/4 of a million..... lol! I bet i could be rich "

jackson wrote on Mar 19, 2008 9:33 AM:

" That loud sucking sound you hear is the American educational system flushing all U.S. Geography books down the drain. Is geography completely out of our public education system?

Have these girls ever even looked at a map of Illinois? (the corn flake actually looks closer to Maine)

This no more looks like Illinois than George W. Bush looks presidential.

These girls ARE flakes. Toasted ones too. "

mm wrote on Mar 19, 2008 9:21 AM:

" People complain about the higher cost of living, but yet they'll spend cash on a single corn flake? Just goes to show you there are a lot of stupid people out there. "

floyd wrote on Mar 19, 2008 7:47 AM:

" Hey! That little shiny thing on the right looks almost like a dime with some old guy's face on it! Wonder if they could get ten cents for it?
"

110100100 wrote on Mar 18, 2008 7:33 AM:

" If that's Illinois, then I've got half of Eastern Europe AND they're FROSTED flakes. "

eric wrote on Mar 18, 2008 7:13 AM:

" It is tuesday at 7:15 am and the flake is over 200,000 dollars on ebay WOW. "

mj wrote on Mar 17, 2008 9:18 PM:

" looks a little like south carolina if you turn it around... not any more or less than it looks like illinois. "

Girl wrote on Mar 17, 2008 4:29 PM:

" I am actually impressed that someone from Virginia knows what shape Illinois is. I am sure I probably ate several Virginia shaped corn flakes this morning for breakfast - but I didn't know it. "

vzbb wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:55 PM:

" Haha I have a bm shaped like Illinois, anyone want to bid? "

DUN TA DUH wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:40 PM:

" I wonder how you would insure that and if there really is an insurer stupid enough to. "

bullfrog wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:25 PM:

" To vzbb I just looked on E-Bay and at 12:20 P M today, it was at a WHOPPING $1175.00 Unbelievable idiots in this world. I have a flying flee, does anyone want him? I'd let him go for best offer over $1000.00 !!!!!!!!!! "

vzbb wrote on Mar 17, 2008 10:16 AM:

" Wow, this is just ridiculous. I can't believe someone would spend money on this. "

DUN TA DUH wrote on Mar 17, 2008 9:24 AM:

" I have a mini wheat shaped like a bail of hay with snow on it, I wonder what I could sell it for on ebay?come to think of it I also have some tires that look like big black donuts and a bunch of rocks in my yard that look like mini mountains.I also have some dog poop that kinda resembles bear poop in my yard (wish someone would come get that they could have it for free)
"

floyd wrote on Mar 17, 2008 9:17 AM:

" Hey! I've got a whole box of em that looks like something if you use your imagination. I'll gladly sell the entire box for $100. I guess when you sit around and do nothing all day your imagination can come up with all kinds of "it looks like" things. Wonder how many of these people are in charge of something that could get a little scary. Like your tax dollars or your kids! "

HD wrote on Mar 17, 2008 9:06 AM:

" WOW I just wasted a few minutes of my life reading this article, is there a form somewhere where I can request it back!? "

Jay G wrote on Mar 17, 2008 8:07 AM:

" Why is this news? "

mizzlin wrote on Mar 17, 2008 5:58 AM:

" anybody that would spend hard earned money for something like this, has corn flakes in their head! WHAT NEXT???? "
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