Almost engineering!

[Bob LambParticipant @boblamb44747]

[Bob LambParticipant @boblamb44747]

The World appears to have gone mad yet again – out of interest (and for a little chuckle) I put Olympic torch into ebay. And here come the engineering question – How much would you be willing to pay for a bit of bent metal with a lot of holes in it? £102,000 ish when I last looked and the person hasn't even run with it yet! No wonder the Olympics cost so much – I would have thought this is not exactly in the Olympic spirit but I 'spose I'm just grumpy that I didn't put my name down to walk with a torch for 100 yards!

Bob

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Sorry, googled "olympic torch", couldn't see 102K mentioned?

Tony

[Paul BarrettParticipant @paulbarrett57424]

Not bad considering they only paid 215 quid for it. There has been a bid retraction as it is at 50 grand at the moment. A bidder entered 150 grand and then retracted it. Quite wise. I too saw it at 102 grand but it had 19 bids. Now it only has 16.

Item number 270981379377

[SpringbokParticipant @springbok]

Some people have more money than sense it would be interesting to know if they actually cough up the dosh. Personally I think it is disgusting that they would immediatly wish to sell it.

Hi Tony you need to go into ebay and paste that number in.
Oh looking up the sellers history she would seem to have 3 kids.

Bob

Edited By Springbok on 20/05/2012 08:37:48

Edited By Springbok on 20/05/2012 08:45:20

[Ian FowkesParticipant @ianfowkes89537]

I'd be surprised if torchbearers get to own the torch and kit, and I'd be even more surprised if they are allowed to make a substantial personal profit from it. This may well have repercussions for both seller and buyer… perhaps the bid that was retracted was done so as a result of the bidder taking legal advice.

It's at £150.3k now, I'm gobsmacked!

Ian.

[WeldsolParticipant @weldsol]

Won't be long before they are available from China say at £50 a 100

[Mark P.Participant @markp]

I quite agree with Springbok,some people have more money than sense, wouldn't give more than 30 Bob for one!

Pailo.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

But won't they need it back when they've done with the Davy Lamp, or does each one of the 8,000 Torchbearers get one for their trouble? The £15 delivery is very fair though.

Martin.

[SaxalbyParticipant @saxalby]

Apparently they can buy them and do with them as they please. There are now four up for sale on e-bay.

Enough other people have profited off the Olympics – why not them.

[Robert DoddsParticipant @robertdodds43397]

Hi,

Only go for those that include the uniform.

Just imagine going round the club track wearing the white suit and testing whether you can go fast enough to dowse the flame. Got to be worth £150K.

Can you re-light the flame off a 31/2" Tich?

Bob D

[Ian FowkesParticipant @ianfowkes89537]

The person who's bid over 150k will be cheesed off about the others that are appearing for sale, obviously the more there are the lower the prices will be.

Apparently the gas burner is made by Bullfinch who make much cheaper products more suited to my needs. I don't think the cool yellow Olympic flame would melt even the most expensive silver solder!

Ian.

[SpringbokParticipant @springbok]

Robert
Got to be worth 150k
The spirit and the ethos is being degraded these people who have just gone a small distance and then flog there memorabilia. These items if they do not want them should be given to the local community so they can go on display. I apologise for saying this but I think your commercial young attitude despicable. This may be the modern attitude but not for me. Maybe I am just an olden 70s engineer but I do have still my standards and this offends me.

Respectfully to all and I hope that you do not take offence to my Edwardian attidute on life.

Bob

[Ian FowkesParticipant @ianfowkes89537]

Personally I think it was a bit ridiculous in these austere times to make a torch for each bearer, surely enough to cover all the legs in one day plus a few spares would be enough, then at the end they could be distributed to worthwhile causes. Less impact on the environment too.

[SpringbokParticipant @springbok]

Ah Well
The Chinese will obtain one later on for peanuts then produce them by the thousand.

As they all came from there first I bet you will not tell the difference. also the uniforms will be manufactured by the thousands so if these people selling them will have to give a provenance and all the photo's et all;

sad

[Robert DoddsParticipant @robertdodds43397]

Springbok Bob,

Thanks for the age compliment but I might give you a year or two. I too am appalled by the avarice of some people

I couldn't find the tongue in cheek smiley or I would have included it in original post which was truly intended as a comedic comment that would be understood by the majority of shop hardened engineers.

Ian,

I suspect the reason for one to each bearer was part of some "Job Creation Scheme" set up by one Quango or another (Tongue in Cheek Smiley)

Bob D

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

We could start making these as our first 'Open Source' model and selling them on t'internet l – this time next year we'll be billionaires

 

Martin.

Edited By blowlamp on 20/05/2012 16:20:42

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi There

I am confused.

How many batons do you need in a relay race?

That is all it is after all.

Perhaps one extra to be refueled while the other is in use but two should be sufficient.

regards David

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi There

I am no longer confused.

There are so many people out of work in Greece that they are temporarily employed making torches to keep the jobless figure below 50%. That is why they give one torch to each runner.

regards David

[Ian FowkesParticipant @ianfowkes89537]

It seems that greed has now completely taken over, just counted 26 Olympic torches on ebay, the most expensive being one not available until late July with a start price of £130K! No bids on most including that one. …. Dream on greedy people

[Robert DoddsParticipant @robertdodds43397]

David,

You are confused,

see this BBC quote :- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-15985711

Workers in West Sussex spent a year on a project before discovering they had helped make the 2012 Olympic torch.

Staff at Best Electroplating, in Crawley, were simply told "a client" had commissioned them to gold-plate some aluminium samples.

After a year, workers were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement by the International Olympic Committee.

There are other BBC reports of torch manufacture in Birmingham and West Midlands

Don't hold out much hope of getting approval to copy it on the Open Source Project

Bob D

Edited By Robert Dodds on 20/05/2012 17:50:25

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Has anyone noticed that the one here (eBay item # 190681453008) for £150,200.00 (when I checked – 69 bids) is actually for a photograph of an Olympic Torch?

Edited By Sid Herbage on 21/05/2012 01:37:34

[Ian FowkesParticipant @ianfowkes89537]

Sid, what you say is absolutely true…. but totally unbelievable!

I have an old brass paraffin blowlamp …. I wonder

[mike adkins 4Participant @mikeadkins4]

well i seem to remember someone on tv saying the olympics would create much revenue within the uk – wonder if this is what they were refeering too

personally would not give you 30 bob for one, they look cheap and tacky, then again lets look at the olympics as a whole, whats it cost the country to hold it here, whats it actually going to make as a profit or will it like the milenium dome be another overpriced cockup that the taxpayer bears the brunt of

[doubletopParticipant @doubletop]

A bit of perforated sheet and a can of gold spray paint and you'd be away. You could even cut a section out of the drum from an old tumble dryer.

I also had a look at the bid history why would the same person repeatedly outbid themselves, and not one but a number of different bidders did the same thing?

Edited By Doubletop on 21/05/2012 10:00:33

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