Morbid eBay bidders splash cash on corporate relics

NEWS Dozens of eBay bidders have been caught up in a frenzied auction to reap the remains of bankrupt energy trading company Enron. Enron, once the largest energy trading company in the US, filed for bankruptcy in autumn last year after it admitted it repeatedly falsified its earnings reports. But the legacy of the deceased company lives on with auction site eBay. A ballpoint pen bearing the Enron logo, regarded a collectable by bidders, was sold for $42, while bidding reached $300 for the company's commemorative stock certificate and company ethics manual. Last year, cancelled stock certificates for crippled dot-coms Webvan Drkoop.com sold for over $100 each on the auction site. However, Rich Klein at Becket.com claimed that although some of the Enron items may be collectable, most of it will have little material value once the hype is over.