A Liptons tea bag, claimed to have been used by the late Queen Elizabeth II, has sold on eBay for a remarkable $12,000, making it one of the most valuable pieces of Queen Elizabeth II memorabilia ever sold.
The eBay description stated 'this is the exact teabag you may have seen on CNN in late 1998.'
The teabag is claimed to have been used by Queen Elizabeth and then 'smuggled out of Windsor Castle', by a vermin exterminator employed to rid the castle of cockroaches following 'the major London cockroach infestation of the 1990's'.
The teabag was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity by the 'Institute of Excellence in Certificates of Authenticity' stating “...have determined beyond a reasonable doubt that the following statements are absolutely true: This is a tea bag.”
Eh?
- The Lipton's bag clearly shows the tag reading 'America's favourite tea', not a tag that was ever used in Great Britain.
- Liptons received Royal Warrants from Edward VII and George V, but never from Queen Elizabeth II.
- In an interview in 2018 the Queen's butler Grant Harrold shared that the Queen drank Assam and Earl Grey tea.
- Former Royal Chef Darren McGrady confirmed the Queen drank Twinings Earl Grey with a splash of milk and no sugar.
- Twinings have been granted a Royal Warrant by every Monarch since Queen Victoria, including Queen Elizabeth II.
- How about 'the major London cockroach infestation of the 1990's'? Nope. nor us. And besides, Windsor is 33 miles from London.
- Have you ever heard of the 'Institute of Excellence in Certificates of Authenticity'? No, we haven't either.
But then take a look at their 'certificate'...
Oh dear...
It would appear that someone has literally just paid $12,000 for a used teabag.
Still, if you missed out the eBay vendor is also offering "Donald Trump's toe nail clippings" for the bargain price of $2,000. (We're kidding, please don't bid and encourage this).
There's probably two trains of thought here. The first being those who favour P.T Barnum who said 'there's a sucker born every minute.'
Or do you think these certificates are deliberately misleading, altough probably legally very well worded, and that eBay should not allow the items to be listed in the first place?