This item was won as a prize in an essay contest for the Firefly Talk podcast. Check out http://www.ericolsenphd.com/contest2.htm for a description of the contest and of the item. (And while you’re there, subscribe to their feed if you haven’t already, their podcast is awesome!) This was the second place prize, and is being auctioned off with the blessings of the Firefly Talk people. The proceeds of this auction will be donated to a family whose father is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. I can’t list this auction as charity because of ebay rules, but I want people to know that the item is not being auctioned off for profit. The sale will benefit a newly minted Browncoat to boot, as I loaned him my Firefly DVDs to watch while he was at home recovering and he is now a fan! I can supply further information regarding the situation, but to respect privacy this is all I will say about it here. So, to make sure all the rules are followed, I am stating that you should bid on this item because you want to own it, not because you want to donate money. Clear? 🙂 I am starting the auction off at a low price and with no reserve. The highest bid will win the item. I am doing this to help reassure bidders that I am not looking to profit from the sale of this item.
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Now, more about the pistol reproduction itself. This is an artist’s proof made by Quantum Mechanix and originally intended for one of their staffers. It was instead donated to Firefly Talk as a prize for the essay contest. (Be sure to check them out at http://quantummechanix.com – they have awesome products.) As such, this is currently a one of a kind item, as the reproductions which will be sold by QMx are not avaialble yet. And they will be limited to 1500, so here’s your chance to get one for sure before they sell out on pre-sale. This reproduction is a quality item and is full sized at just over 14 inches long. Read the description from the QMx website below. Please note that in the listing it says that the handles are hand rubbed walnut…I don’t think they are walnut on the artist’s proof, but instead a very realistic looking plastic. Everything else appears to be exactly the same. The stand is also included, as listed below, but is not shown in the photo.
So hey, Mal pistol for a good cause. Works for me.
FYI, “I can’t list this auction as charity because of ebay rules” isn’t strictly true, as per their guidelines for listing fundraising items that aren’t going through eBay’s “Giving Works” program.
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/fundraising.html