No Takers

The University of Wisconsin - Madison was unable to get any bidders on its latest surplus auction item. It seems nobody wanted to buy a spool of 99.999 percent pure gold thread.

A Thursday night deadline passed with nobody bidding the minimum $8,500 for the shiny glob of pure gold leftover from equipment University of Wisconsin scientists made that traveled into space in 2005.

The school's Space Science and Engineering Center is auctioning off 12.5 troy ounces of 99.999 percent pure gold on a Web site where the university's surplus property — everything from dorm refrigerators to computers — is sold to the highest bidder.

Mark Mulligan, a project manager at the space center, said the $8,500 asking price, which reflects the going rate for gold, was probably too high. He said he would lower the price and put the gold back up for bid early next week.

Mulligan said he's convinced the gold will eventually sell. A handful of people inquired but were scared away by the price, he said.

We here at Blue Crab Boulevard, being always on the lookout for ways to help, are quite willing to take the gold off the University's hands if they are unable to sell it. We're really nice that way.

Here's the UW-M SWAP website, in case you're in the market for any used material or equipment. There is actually quite a lot of stuff for sale or up for auction.