$7000 for a cigarette butt? Tell him he’s dreaming

A discarded cigarette butt is currently commanding the sort of price Finance Minister Michael Cullen could only dream of imposing on a full pack of cancer sticks, come the May 17 Budget.

Internet auction site TradeMe is fielding bids of more than $7000 for what is purported to be the last cigarette smoked at the Auckland bar Malt before the anti-smoking laws came into effect on December 10.

The remains of the Marlboro Red cigarette are mounted in Perspex, on an attractive wooden stand, and come with a certificate of authenticity.

A plaque records the fag-end as "the last cigarette officially smoked at Malt Restaurant and Bar, 11.59pm, December 9, 2004".

The butt was last night commanding bids of $7305. A pack of 20 Marlboro Reds (unsmoked) retails for about $10.

Three potential buyers - Simon479, Onion2 and Iron-age - had dominated the bidding over the previous 24 hours, with Iron-age leading the way at 9 o'clock last night.

Malt owner Luke Dallow said he remembered how the commemorative butt came into being.

Just before midnight on December 9, a man rushed in and asked him for a cigarette butt.

The man, having recovered a butt, approached Mr Dallow and his business partner and asked them to sign a certificate of authentication, which they duly did.

"We thought it was a crock," Mr Dallow said.

Now he is wishing he had done it himself - not that he resents the stranger's entrepreneurial spirit.

"I think good on the bloke. If he can sell the damn thing, bloody hell he's a legend."

TradeMe business manager Mike O'Donnell said the cigarette butt was a genuine auction item, and bids made on the site were legally enforceable offers.

The seller, trading as Arsenalboy, had a solid history of dealings on TradeMe, and had received glowing testimonials from other users.

Mr O'Donnell said there had been a number of strange items fetching big prices, such as a piece of cheese on toast that bore a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary.

The high-calorie Madonna was finally sold to an American casino for about $50,000.

Action on Smoking and Health director Becky Freeman described the auction as a "bit of a publicity stunt" and a "waste of energy and time".

"I can think of a lot better things to spend money on than cigarette butts."