Jerry Falwell on Ebay

(AP) — Hundreds of items related to the Rev. Jerry Falwell have been
put up for sale on eBay since the televangelist’s death two weeks ago,
including an autographed bobblehead doll that went for $145.

An autographed 1978 Bible that
the seller said was given to contributors to Falwell’s Liberty
University early in its construction sold for about $90.

The online auctions,
which include other signed items including books and photos, follow the
trend of selling memorabilia of people and events in the worldwide
spotlight.

“We’ve witnessed this more with pop culture celebrities - movie
stars, musicians, that sort of thing - but one can make the case that
he was a pop culture celebrity, too,” said Steve Jones, a professor of
communications at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Falwell, who used the power of television to develop the Moral
Majority and turn the Christian right into a mighty force in American
politics, died May 15 at age 73 at the Lynchburg school he founded in
1971.

…………

I feel like he was very strong
with the American culture; in fact, he was one of the best,” said David
Campbell, curator of the Jerry Falwell Museum. “That tells you
something (about) how great a guy he was and how people want to buy
into something he would have for memorabilia.”

The creation of the bobblehead dolls was a “great gesture,”
Campbell said. They show Falwell wearing a suit and holding a Bible.

“It was very good. Someone did a great job,” he said.

Originally sold in 2004 for $10 unsigned and $50 signed, the
figures are still available for sale, Liberty University’s athletic
department said.

The eBay items, like those of other people and places, pay homage, Jones said.

“The derivation of the word memorabilia, it’s things we collect to in some way or another keep alive or rekindle a Jones said. “There’s always going to be a market for it.”

The highest-priced items included a commemorative booklet with a
Falwell biography from 1976 that went for $100; proceeds were donated
to the university. A 1976 family photo Christmas card and a set of
Moral Majority tokens from 1983 each sold for about $20, and a
videotape celebrating the 60th birthday of Falwell and his wife, Macel,
sold for $24.

Source: http://www.physorg.com/news99806989.html