eBay is chocka with delightful Olympic souvenirs but none so tempting as the bottle of air.
The Olympic atmosphere was offered for sale in a fetching glass bottle with a smart Olympic-rings label. However the item has now disappeared, either because it was bought or because the vigilant London 2012 branding brigade caught wind of the venture.
The starting price was £10.50, very reasonable when you consider the price of London 2012 Olympics tickets.
Bidding was supposed to close as the Olympics end because at that point the atmosphere in Stratford will “return to normal”. Duh.
On eBay the seller wrote:
“The beautiful East London air has been captured in a preserving bottle for you to display and take pride of place on your mantelpiece, bookshelf or desk and eventually be passed on to future generations of your family………..or if you prefer, you can open it and use the bottle to preserve pickles.”
If you missed the bottled air, don’t be sad. Amid the sea of keyrings, London 2012 programmes and wristbands, eBay yields some other truly special souvenirs.
Of particular interest to collectors are an out of date cheese roll and a soggy tissue used to clean a seat. The cheese roll is still in its original packaging and although slightly green has actually been inside the Olympic park which, presumably, its new owner will not have.
Buy an Olympic souvenir: An out-of-date cheese roll from the Olympic stadium
Image: eBay