Pope's old car sold on eBay to help fundraise for charity
Howard Lake | 8 May 2005 | News
The 1999 Volkswagen Golf previously owned by Pope Benedict XVI has been sold on eBay for €188,938.88 to GoldenPalace.com, the online casino, which says it will use it to raise funds for charity.
The item broke all eBay records by receiving over 8.5 million visitors to its auction page.
The six-year old car was bought by Benjamin Halbe, aged 21, in January. It was only when he obtained the car’s registration documents confirming Josef Ratzinger as the former owner that he realised the significance of his purchase.
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When Halbe listed the car on eBay last week, the reserve price was €9,999 – the same amount he paid for it. After that the offers just kept increasing.
“GoldenPalace.com is delighted to own this holy vehicle,” said GoldenPalace.com CEO Richard Rowe. “We have amassed a collection of what many consider to be holy artifacts. It seems only natural to get a blessed vehicle to carry these items. We are planning to showcase our acquisitions by bringing them on tour and allowing people to enjoy the experience of sitting in the divine car, in an effort to raise as much money for charity as possible.”
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.