The Ridiculous Price This Illinois-Shaped Corn Flake Sold For
The jury's still out on why people pay so much for food in fun shapes. Recently, a McNugget from McDonald's BTS meal shaped like an "Among Us" avatar hit eBay and sold for almost $100,000 (via The Verge). The same attraction may have driven Monty Kerr, the proprietor of a trivia website, to purchase a corn flake shaped like the state of Illinois for $1,350 back in 2008 (via Best Life). The buyer allegedly wanted to open up a travelling museum based around pop culture and Americana items and decided they couldn't live without the single corn flake in the exhibit.
Two Virginian sisters discovered the piece of cereal and listed the item on eBay, which didn't allow for the sale of food at the time (via NBC). After initially having the item pulled from the site for violating the business' policy, the sisters sold a coupon for the item instead. Kerr eventually bought the piece of cereal, despite fears it would break apart when shipped. The fears stemmed from the time Kerr purchased a piece of cereal billed as "the biggest cereal flake ever" before it broke apart into three pieces once shipped in the mail.
The beginning of a fun food tradition
The 2008 eBay listing of the novelty corn flake sparked a series of copycat items to hit the website. According to NPR, a corn flake shaped like Florida and a potato chip shaped like Hawaii hit eBay shortly after the successful sale of the Illinois cornflake. The sisters who sold the original item intended to put the profits towards a nice vacation (via NBC). The sale of the cornflake even inspired others to sell commemorative items, like spoons, milk, t-shirts, and buttons that honored the sale of the very expensive cornflake (via The Virginian Pilot).
Next time you find a fun piece of cereal or chip that resembles your favorite state, set it aside. With any luck, you might have just stumbled upon a piece of American history that someone on eBay absolutely needs in their life. You can guarantee even more unique-shaped foods hit the internet and with any luck, you might just find the rare piece of food that can sell for thousands of dollars.