"$10,000 for a bottle of barbeque sauce? Are you kidding me? I'll take it!" said Mort Bank, Bismarck.
Incredibly, the Bismarck businessman sold a 20-year-old gallon bottle of McJordan barbeque sauce on e-bay for $9,995 Monday night. A Chicago man was the lucky bidder. Of course, that depends on your point of view, not necessarily your taste buds.
The item was listed on e-bay as:
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Mort Bank, Bismarck, with the 20 year old gallon bottle of McJordan barbeque sauce that sold for $10,000. Bank, former owner of McDonald’s in Bismarck, said the sauce was used in 1992 as an ingredient in The McJordan. The McJordan was a quarter-pound hambuger named after NBA player Michael Jordan.
"A once in a lifetime chance to own the rarest of rare Michael Jordan and McDonald's collectible! The only one left on Earth?? This gallon of McJordan BBQ sauce is from 1992 when McDonald's sold McJordan Burgers as a promotional menu item."
Bank put the gallon jug on e-bay after his daughter contacted him, asking if he had anything he'd like to sell. When asked for how much, he laughingly replied "Let's try $10,000."
The barbeque sauce went without a serious bid for more than three months until someone saw it and it began circulating its whereabouts on the Internet. Suddenly the 20-year-old stuff became a very hot item and the bid price of $9,995 was met.
"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" said Bank. "I put it in the basement 20 years ago and had no clue it would be worth $10,000. All of a sudden it is one of the biggest stories in the country."
No kidding. Various national television networks, radio stations and newspapers have been contacting the man who sold the now famous bottle of barbeque sauce. A Google search reveals hundreds of stories. The deal may forever change how barbeque sauce is viewed, or tasted.
The historic sauce was a key ingredient in The McJordan, a quarter-pound hamburger that also contained smoked bacon, cheese, onions, mustard and pickles said to be the favorite ingredients of National Basketball Association star Michael Jordan. Bank was the owner of McDonald's in Bismarck when the promotion occurred.
"In 1992 McDonald's did a region promotion. It was the first time McDonald's used a person to sell a burger. It was in the Minneapolis and Chicago regions," recalled Bank. "When the promotion was finished I took the last bottle home."
Bank, a big fan of NBA basketball, said the sauce was never sold to the public other than on hamburgers. The gallon jugs were only for use in McDonald's kitchens.
"I thought it would be worth something someday, but it's not like it's a neat piece of memorabilia. It's a freaking gallon jug of barbeque sauce!" said Bank.
It's not just any barbeque sauce anymore. It may be the most expensive gallon of barbeque sauce in the country. Who said barbeque sauce is just for tasting?