The highest bid is around $19,000.Д«en Pacey, a 25-year-old English water polo player whose Olympic dreams were sidetracked nearly seven years ago after a diagnosis of leukemia, promises in his listing to donate 10 percent Other sellers did not state their intentions.ДЄt the time of writing, there are at least 15 other eBay sellers with live auctions for what they claim to be authentic London 2012 torches. SimondsвЂ™s eBay auction spurred other torchbearers to post auctions of their own, some of which are also donating to charities. Given the option to purchase the torch for $314 (in advance of their run) to $339 (day of run). Most of the torchbearers who participate in the relay were nominated based on work in their local community or an inspiring personal achievement. Raised could act as a seed fund for new projects and enable us to finally get a decent Web site for our workshop ideas.вЂќ вЂњWhen I actually thought about how much the PeopleвЂ™s Plot could do with a large sum like that, it was a quick decision to sell and put it to good use,вЂќ Simonds said. She decided to sell her torch after coming across an eBay posting last Saturday, the day the relay began, for a Simonds was not the first torchbearer to turn to eBay, but her auction has garnered the most attention. Simonds further defended herself on Twitter this week:ДЄ community gardener for every London borough or an #olympictorch for the trophy cabinet?ДЄ spokesperson for the London Games said, вЂњThe torches are the torchbearersвЂ™ to do what they want with them - we hope they find a good home.вЂќ Our potatoes using a torch? They obviously didnвЂ™t understand my motives.вЂќ вЂњTo these I would ask how exactly can we plant

вЂњBut there are still lots of people who feel strongly that these iconic torches are somehow sacred and that trading demeans their value,вЂќ she said. Simonds received several of what she called hateful messages on eBay while her auction was active, but said those stopped when the auction closed. Cowburn was trying to raise money for the Invictus Trust, a foundation she started to help teenagers struggling with poor mental health.Дespite the seemingly good intentions of Simonds and some others, selling the Olympic symbols for large sums has drawn critics.ДЄ columnist, Mihir Bose of The Guardian, wrote that the вЂњbuying and selling of Olympic products demeans the Games,вЂќД®ven if the profit goes to charity, and a former English Olympian and torchbearer called the selling of the torches disgraceful, though he did make a distinction between those selling for charity. вЂњClearly, this was a protest rather than a genuine offer - there is no 153,000 pounds.вЂќДЄnother torchbearer, 19-year-old Sophia Cowburn of Cornwall, told the BBC that the winning bid of 150,400 pounds ($237, 456) on her torch turned out toД«e a hoax. вЂњWe are so disappointed,вЂќ Simonds said of the failed auction. She was nominated to carry the flame based In its entirety to finance t he PeopleвЂ™s Plot, a community gardening project she created. News of this quickly spread throughout England, as did charges that Simonds was cashing in on Olympic spirit.Д«ut Simonds, one of the 8,000 people chosen by the London Olympics organizing committee to run in the torch relay, said she had yet to receive the money from the winning bidder, money she said she was intending to use Her torch on eBay for 153,100 pounds, or about $242,323, on Sunday, a day before she was to carry the flame through Dunster. Sarah Milner Simonds, a 38-year-old horticultural expert from Burnham on Sea, Somerset, received a winning bid for The value may not be as high as originally thought. Some Olympic torchbearers in England are finding out this week just how much their once-in-a-lifetime sports souvenir is worth, though If you thought an Olympic torch would fall into the priceless category, think again. She auctioned the torch on eBay, and received a winning bid of $242,323.Дў012 London Games torch relay commemorative pin: $11.

Toby Melville/Reuters Sarah Milner Simonds before her torch relay Sunday.

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