Could this be the start of a trend? Leftover memorabilia from failed hedge funds raise cash. Consider this: Up for auction on eBay was a Nalgene bottle bearing the Amaranth name. In the real world, such an item may cost $5 retail, maybe less than that when the collapsed Connecticut firm had it made up. But in a recent eBay action, Euromoney reports, the relic fetched $128.50. One can only wonder who would cough up that kind of money for the bottle, but if it can find four bidders on the world’s largest auction site, there’s no telling how much other firm chachkas could bring in. The same seller, who according to the listing, “received these items as a former employee of Amaranth back in its heyday,” offered something of an Amaranth fashion package: an adjustable hat bearing the firm’s logo and a medium-size Izod-brand green polo shirt, also with the logo Thrown into the package are two business cards of the then chief risk officer and head of recruiting “in very nice condition, but with slight wear to the corners.” There was a bid for $10.95, but alas, Euromoney went to press before the auction ended, and now that is has, there’s no trace of it left on eBay.
