| ST.
JOHNS, ANTIGUA, NOVEMBER 22, 2004 – In a
perfect example of Americana pop culture phenomenon, a grilled
cheese sandwich that bears the image of the Virgin Mary has been
sold on eBay to Internet casino GoldenPalace.com for $28,000 USD.
Seller Diana Duyser made
the sandwich ten years ago, and after taking one bite out of it,
noticed the Virgin Mary's face staring back at her. She put the
sandwich in a clear plastic box with cotton balls and kept it on
her night stand. Duyser, 52, believes the sandwich has brought her
luck over the years and is truly convinced of its divinity.
'I would like all
people to know that I do believe that this is the Virgin Mary
Mother of God,' says Duyser, a work-from-home jewelry designer.
'That is my solemn belief. People ask me if I have had blessings
since she has been in my home. I do feel I have, I have won
$70,000 on different occasions at the casino near my house.'
Duyser has received
widespread media attention and maintains that her good luck is
attributed to the iconic image in the bread. The paranormal nature
of the sandwich is mainly due to the fact that millions of people
are able to see the same holy icon on the bread, not to mention
that a ten-year-old sandwich has remained remarkably free of mold.
Oddly, no special care has been taken to preserve the sandwich.
Duyser claims that she has placed the sandwich in a simple plastic
case, not 'a special one that seals out air or potential mold or
bacteria.'
Given Duyser's success
at her local casino, it is fitting that a casino ended up with the
good luck charm that helped Duyser win big. GoldenPalace.com has
become familiar with eBay auctions, having recently purchased
several items and using them to raise over $200,000 for various
charities. Since this 'slice of heaven' has affected so many
people worldwide, Golden Palace intends to do the same with the
sandwich by taking it on tour around the world and allowing people
to see the icon, hear Duyser's story, and share in the good luck
that it brings.
The sacred sandwich has
received over 1,700,000 visitors since being posted on eBay. A
Google search on the sandwich returns an incredible 89,000-plus
matches, and a search on Diana Duyser's name alone returns over
3000 matches.
'We will definitely
use the sandwich to raise money for charity, and we hope it will
raise people's spirits as well,' says Richard Rowe, CEO of
GoldenPalace.com. 'With the massive amount of hits on the eBay
site and thousands of search engine queries, it is obvious that
this is something people want to know more about…and Golden
Palace will help spread the word. We believe that everyone
should be able to see it and learn of its mystical power for
themselves.'
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